


Knight of Sentinel

by Hellblazer_Jane



Category: Advanced Warfare - Fandom, COD: AW, Call of Duty
Genre: Anger, F/M, Light Angst, Minor Character Death, Pregnancy, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:05:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 26
Words: 67,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5971320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellblazer_Jane/pseuds/Hellblazer_Jane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We Don't know much about Gideon, but those numbers on his cheek, those could mean something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 072109

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters listed, this is fan fiction. The characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games.

-Gideon's POV-

_Gideon is running down a corridor, there are guards behind him, firing at him. He can hear the screams of others behind him, their shrieks as those bastards kill everyone in their path, to kill him. He makes a sharp right and opens a door, the room is dark. Suddenly lights turn on, he is in a lab, it is grey and sterile. Gideon feels nothing but dread as he approaches the table in the center. It is covered in needles and probes, bone saws and scalpels. He knows this place, its where he was born, created, made. Gideon feels someone come behind him, he twists the man around and breaks his arm, taking the needle he held and injecting him. Gideon looks over the man struggling for breath, “Not today, mate.” Another set of lights turn on and he sees another doctor clad in a white coat surrounded by armed guards. The doctor smiles, “Where do you think you're going Zero seven twenty-one nine?” Gideon hated that man, the way he says the number, punctuating the zero, like he wasn't good enough. Gideon grabs a saw to defend himself, “Away from you.”_

_The doctor steps forward laughing, “And where will you go? This is your home, your purpose to serve queen and country. You don't exist outside. I created you, I am the only father you will ever have.”_

_“I HAVE NO FAMILY!” Gideon shouts, tensing up, but he takes his voice down from a shout, no less aggressive, “I don't need you, I'm more than a number. I have a name, a mind, a voice. You can't take that from me. Go ahead and try.” The doctor flicks his wrist and the guards open fire, Gideon flips the table for cover and dives behind it._

_“Don't damage him too badly, we need him intact for the series eight subjects. And I had such high hopes for series seven.”_

_The soldiers close around him, forming a tight circle, Gideon has lost all of his weapons. He closes his eyes, waiting to die, but he hears foot steps stop in front of him. Gideon looks up to see Johnathan Irons staring down at him,“You disgust me Gideon. I rescue you from the streets and you reward me by cowering behind a table. Do what you want with him Doctor. He's worthless” A soldier shoots Gideon in the chest, he reaches out to Irons for help, but he just simply walks away, leaving Gideon to bleed out._

 

Gideon wakes with a start, drenched in sweat, “Fuck me...” He gets up and walks into his small bathroom, turning on the light he washes his face with cold water and looks in the mirror, water still dripping. The string of numbers on his left cheek stares back, reminding him of his past. He shifts his gaze to his own eyes, trying to forget. “My name is Gideon, I was born January 12th, 2025, 29 years ago. I am a Captain in service to Johnathan Irons.” Gideon dries his face and looks at the clock, 04:23. He gets dressed and leaves, his mind too active to go back to sleep.

He heads outside and starts to run. Its quiet and cool, not even the slightest hint of dawn on the horizon. He enjoyed this time especially, no one awake to order him, no one to question him. It's just him and the open air. He heads away from the buildings, the simulations, to where there is nothing but trees and clarity. He picks up his pace, impatient. The forest is 9 miles out from the base give or take. He could make it there in half an hour and be back before breakfast.

 

 

 

-Your POV-

You wake up and stretch, a tree isn't exactly how you like to spend your nights, but waiting for evac in Russia isn't exactly known for its comfort. You climb down and check your weapons and your prize. You weren't able to get much, but it was more than the KVA had let slip in a year. You speak into your radio, “Prophet, Iron Princess, what's the status on my evac? Over.”

“Iron Princess, Warbird inbound, ETA 3 mikes.”

“Copy that.” You pick up the rest of your gear and head to the cliff. You couldn't believe you had to spend ANOTHER night in Russia, but life is life. You didn't want any special treatment, and you got none. Much to your father's disliking, then again he wouldn't approve of most things you do in your spare time. As you reach the cliff you hear the warbird coming.

“It's about damn time.” You say, standing at the edge. Ilona's voice comes through your comm loud and clear, “Sorry you had to wait, Princess.”

“Just shut up and open the door. We need to get this decrypted ASAP.”

“Fine,” Ilona opens the doors and lets you on. Once you get on you lay down and go back to sleep.

-8 hours later-

 

You wake up to Ilona's accent, “Time to wake up Princess.”

“10 more minutes mom.” You say, still tired.

“You can sleep when you're dead [y/n].”

You stretch again looking outside, it's still dark. “What time is it?” You get up and sit in the cockpit with Ilona. She looks at you, but doesn't answer. She looks lost in thought. You snap your fingers, “Eyes on the clouds Ilona.”

Ilona looks at you, unphased, “It's 0600. We'll be there in 10 minutes, did you see anything interesting?”

You shake your head, “No. The informants were next to useless. There's a cell in the southern Asia, but that's all I got. Hopefully that hard drive can tell us more.” There is silence for a few minutes, then you ask, “How are things at home?”

Ilona smiles, “Joker is coming up with yet another plan to seduce you.” She laughs, a mischievous look in her eyes.

“What does it involve this time?” You laugh, Joker's tried so many things to seduce you it was funny. The last time was Christmas... he had given you a box of condoms and a bottle of Jameson's.

“To hell if I know. He isn't exactly classy.”

“Class isn't so much a problem as not being an ass.”

“And also not being good enough for Daddy's princess.” Ilona smirked, she knew exactly how to push your buttons. It is true, Johnathan Irons treated you like a princess, but he didn't decide who you spent your time with. “My father has nothing to do with who I want to fuck, besides, like he has a sense of self preservation anyway.”

Ilona speaks into her headset, “Prophet, Atlas 3-1, request permission to land, over."

“Atlas 3-1, permission granted, they're waiting for you in bay 5.”

“Copy that, ETA 3 mikes.” She looks at you, “3 minutes away from your bed Princess.”

“What if I don't want to go to bed now?”

“Then go talk some sense into your brother.”

“Is he still on about joining the marines?”

Ilona nods grimly, you just sit back and sigh. Atlas had better equipment, better training, better everything. Why did Will want to join the MARINES so badly? If it was just to spite Dad, what the fuck was wrong with him... daddy issues are not worth your life.

-Gideon's POV-

 

“It's getting late” Gideon said to the trees as he watched the sunrise. He knew he should get back, but he didn't want to leave. This is where he felt the most free, up in the tree tops in a forest, next to the HOME that HE earned. Working for the man that gave him purpose, a choice, the man who listened to him, the man who became his father.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a warbird flying over head, going toward the compound.[y/n] was due back two days ago. Those damned pilots couldn't be trusted with anything. Irons probably sent Ilona for her, he thought as he started to climb down. If that was the case some one was going to get their ass kicked on the mats later and it sure as hell wasn't going to be him. He heard static on his comm and Ilona's voice came through, “Do you want a ride back to base Captain?”

Gideon shook his head, “No Ilona, we've been over this. I like to run.”

“Suit yourself Captain, although Princess was looking forward to getting into bed with you,”

Gideon blushes as he thinks of her, crawling into his bed kissing him like her life depended on it, her soft skin warm against him, a soft moan escaping her as he bites her shoulder gently. The softness of he hand as she strokes him softly, intimately. He is distracted from his reverie by her voice, “Don't let her yank your chain Captain. I don't date Daddy's employees.”

“That's enough you two. I'll see you at breakfast. Nine miles is nothing.”

 


	2. Irons' Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your brother is being dense and Gideon is having issues.

-Your POV-

As you step off the warbird you see a familiar face waiting. Will was up early, he was never up this early, but then again, you've been gone for three months. He smiles as you walk to him, “How's my baby sister holding up?” You shake your head, who was he calling baby? You've been tracking down terrorists while he's been dealing with daddy issues. Dad wasn't even that bad, sure he liked to hover sometimes, but all he wanted to do was protect the last two pieces he had of his wife.

Will looks at you, worried, “What's wrong?”

“Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

“Of course I do. What happened out there?”

“It isn't what happened out there, it's what's happening here.”

“What do you mean?”

Will could be so fucking dense sometimes. Did he really think that she wouldn't know about him and dad? You were still in contact, Ilona made sure you knew what was going on with your family, Joker even tried to ask you out a few times. What the hell made him think that him wanting to join the marines was a secret that only he got to tell? “You know what's wrong, you and Dad. That's what's fucking wrong.” Your voice is barely above a whisper, “All he wants to do is keep us safe Will. He wants us to stay because he knows the skills of his own people. Why the fuck do you want to go join the MARINES?”

Will looks down and sighs, “I don't expect you to understand, but the man is sucking the life out of me. I want to fight, but not for money, not like him.”

“I don't get fucking paid,” you say, angry at him, “I go out there and I fight, I get intel to stop terrorists, and then I go out for drinks with my team, because of Atlas, because of DAD.”

Will looks at you, angrier that even you were, “Yes and because of DADDY you can see, you can walk, you can live a normal life. You've never been pushed to take over, never had to skip a party because you had to be at the range. You were always just Daddy's little princess that he saved.”

It was true, you had been born blind and paralyzed. You had lived unfeeling until you were five, and in the dark until you were 15. Dad had never pushed you to do anything, he was afraid something would happen. Regardless of the fact that you could still function normally though you were blind. The Spinal implant you had been given enhanced every sense that you had, except your sight. R&D had perfected the optic implants for your 15th birthday. Without dad or the people at Atlas you would probably be dead, or at least very alone and in the dark. Will always resented you for your “easy life.” He never admitted it, but you could feel it. “Yeah, because of him I can walk and see, yeah he never pushed me to do anything, but at least he loved me, and he showed it. You hate me and that's fine, I don't care. Now if you'll excuse me civi, I have a date to keep.” You shove past him, tears of anger burning in your eyes. Yeah, he could cut, but your knives were sharper.

-Gideon's POV-

 

Why did Ilona have to do that? She knew how he felt, she was the only one. What was wrong with her? He had known [y/n] for years, since she had begged him to teach her how to fight. She couldn't have been more than 17. She wouldn't even tell him her name. In fact Gideon had been the one to name her, Iron had just been a joke. She acted so tough, even when she was obviously hurt, it was adorable. She was adorable. Gideon laughed at himself, “You're in love Gid.” He thought. How could someone be so perfect? The way her eyes sparkle, the way her hair shines in the sunlight, her flawless skin, the way she smells, it was enough to drive him insane. The longer he looked at her the more he wanted her, but he couldn't have her.

He was closing on the base now, another 5 minutes he would be there. Breakfast was at 0730, he checked his watch, 0658. He still had time to shower, maybe shave... no he would skip shaving. It helped the numbers blend in, no one would think anything of it. It wasn't a tattoo, not like his Union Jack anyway. The doctors had manipulated the pigment of his skin there, it was more like a birthmark, a reminder of a distant memory that he wanted so to forget.

As he was walking through the hall of the barracks his mind began to wander, back to the dream, the lab where he had been... created. His childhood consisted of endless training; weapons, tactics, hand to hand combat. When he got older; seduction, interrogation, resisting interrogation, the beatings... no, he pushed those thoughts out of his head. He was going to breakfast with his Iron Princess and he didn't want or need these memories.

He got back to his room and stripped down, walking into his bathroom. He ran the shower cold and got in, picturing [y/n]'s face. His mind started to wander again, but this time it was far more pleasant. His princess was in the shower with him, they were washing each other. Her soft moaning as he spent more time on her breasts than necessary. The way she strokes him lovingly. Gideon grunts softly as he pleasures himself to the image of her on her knees in front of him, sucking him off.

He leans against the wall of the shower panting having finished himself off. “Fuck me...” He says quietly as he finishes washing up. He suddenly felt guilty, he just jacked off to his boss' daughter. Gideon gets out of the shower and dries off quickly, checking the clock, 0721. He puts on fresh clothes and heads to breakfast, hopefully it wouldn't be just them.

 


	3. Knives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon confesses his love for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: This is fan fiction I wrote. The characters belong to Activision/Sledgehammer games.

-Your POV-

Fuck Will, if he wants to be a marine, let him be. You won't be crying at his funeral. While he's fighting to defend a bureaucracy you are going to be doing something that matters. You would be fighting those who prey on the weak and innocent. You would be leader of that some day, Iron Princess would become the Iron Queen. That day, however was not today. Today you would debrief and take a few weeks to relax. First thing's first though, you're STARVING!

You walk into the mess hall and see Ilona sitting at a table across from Joker. You get your food and walk toward the table. Its been nearly two months since you've had a proper meal. You were looking forward to your bacon with toast and eggs. Yes, bacon with a side of eggs and two pieces of toast. You may look like a princess, but you eat more than most of the men, and you can put them on their back faster than they break eye contact with you. You've put Joker on his ass more times than you could remember, yet he always comes back.

When Joker sees you he stands up and pulls out a chair for you next to him and he bows, “My lady.” You sit down and he winks at Ilona. You raise an eyebrow and she almost laughs. Joker is about to sit down when you ask, “Could you go get me some apple juice?” Joker nearly falls standing up straight again, “Sure, anything for you Princess.”

As he leaves Gideon sits down in his place, “Are you ever going to stop that?”

“Stop what?” You ask innocently as you start eating a strip of bacon.

He takes a piece of your bacon, “You know what.” He takes a bite off the strip and looks at you. You couldn't lie to those eyes, or play innocent. “He gave me a box of condoms with holes poked in them for Christmas. So... no, probably never. And who gave you permission to eat my bacon? Go get your own breakfast.”

“Why should I? You have enough for three.”

“Are you calling me fat?”

“No, just wondering where you put all this bacon.”

“Wouldn't you like to know.” Joker comes back with your juice, upset that the captain had taken his seat next to you. He puts you juice down by your plate and sits down across from you, next to Ilona. He looks at Gideon, eating your bacon and says in his usual playful demeanor, “How could you two time me, after everything I've done for you... and with HIM?”

Gideon responds first, “She's just got a thing for the accent, mate.”

You almost choke when you see the look on Gideon's face. Well, the look isn't different, but his eyes tell a different story. He wants what he says to be true, but that look is gone faster that it came. Still, you couldn't let them think something actually was going on between you two, “See, Joker, in order for me to two time you, there has to be a first time. And I'm telling you right now that will NEVER happen.” You try to keep a straight face but Joker gives you eyes like a hurt puppy and you can't help but laugh. Everyone starts laughing, except Gideon, who is drinking your apple juice.

-Gideon's POV-

 

“What the hell has gotten into you, mate?” He thought to himself. They're all laughing, even Ilona, but he couldn't bring himself to. He felt threatened, Joker made her laugh, he was persistent. He never knew a girl that could resist him forever. [y/n] was tough, but that never meant anything. Joker nearly always got his way.

Drinking her juice was the only thing that kept him from knocking Joker on his ass then and there. It some how established authority, no that wasn't the reason. Drinking from the same glass is the closest he would ever get to a kiss from her. He puts the glass down, only for his princess to give him a death stare. Gideon winks at her as he takes another piece of bacon from her plate. Her stare is broken by some other emotion, but it's quickly replaced with mischief as she takes a sip of juice without bothering to turn the glass, sliding her tongue down the glass to catch a droplet. Gideon wanted her to lick something else.

“Is something wrong Captain?” She asks sweetly.

Gideon shook his head, “No, I'm just glad to have my team back at full strength.”

Ilona spoke this time, “It won't be at full strength for much longer.” She was looking at [y/n] when she spoke.

Gideon's mind suddenly went in every direction. Did she just want to leave Atlas, because of him? The pieces clicked together in his brain; enough food for three people, she had been kind of moody every time he had spoken to her, “Fuck me...” he thought, “She's pregnant... and it isn't mine”

-Your POV-

 

Ilona just had to ruin the perfect breakfast didn't she. You were just able to tease Gideon when she had to bring up Will. You saw a flash of horror in Gideon's eyes, the others didn't see it. They were wondering yes, but they didn't have the eye for detail that you did. And that eye for detail led you to see that Gideon was very discreetly staring at your belly. For fuck's sake, you didn't look pregnant, did you? The silence was getting heavy, you broke it quickly, “Dad isn't going to ground me just because William decided to join the marines.” Gideon gave an audible sigh of relief. He did think you were pregnant.

Ilona shook her head, “You never know, fathers will do anything to protect their daughters, usually.”

[y/n] was getting angry, well more annoyed than angry. “If he didn't want me to go out there and fight he shouldn't have given me legs and eyes.”

“What ever happens,” Gideon says, “we'll still be a family, and families takes care of each other. Nothing can take that from us.”

 

-5 hours later-

 

Well those were five hours of you life you'd rather have back. That debrief took much longer than it should have. Dad wasn't there, so that left you with various generals drilling you for information that you didn't have. There was virtually nothing to be had. The KVA was smart, they covered their tracks, tied up loose ends and in general just seemed to be one step ahead of you every time you got close. Right now you just wanted to go take a bath, a proper bubble bath. Unfortunately, Gideon was in your room waiting for you.

“Something I can do for you Captain?” If he was in your room it had to be important, Gideon never bothered you unless it was. He didn't answer, but he took off his beanie and motioned for you to sit down. You sit on your couch and swallow hard, something had him wound up. The thought of the scared you, not much could get him like this.

You sit down, your mouth suddenly dry. He looked worried, conflicted, like he wasn't sure of himself, “What's wrong Gideon? You're scaring me.”

-Gideon's POV-

 

Gideon has never been more scared in his life, not when the doctors were doing their experiments, not when he was on the streets. Nothing scared him like this moment, he couldn't live like this anymore. She would tease him, flirt with him even, but it was never serious. What had she said, she didn't date daddy's employees, but what if he could change her mind? “I love you.”

 

-Your POV-

 

Did he just..., “What?”

His voice cracked, “I love you [y/n].” You could see the tears welling in his eyes, he was afraid. Before you can say anything he's on top of you, kissing you. It's urgent, desperate. He wants you, and you know it. He breaks the kiss and looks into your eyes, searching for some sort of affection, “Gideon...”

 

-Gideon's POV-

 

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.” What the hell was that? What made him think that kissing her was a good idea? He stands up and puts his beanie back on. “I should leave, I'm sorry”

“Gideon, no, I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the one that was leading you on. I just didn't think that you would actually...” her voice tapered off into nothing. She didn't think what, that he wouldn't fall in with her? How could he not, the way she fought, how tough she was, but still with a soft underbelly that she let so few see. “I think it is best that you are grounded, Mr. Irons doesn't need to lose another child.”

Gideon leaves, thankful that the way back to his quarters was completely devoid of people. As soon as he's safe inside he can't hold back the tears. “Stop crying you little wuss.” He says to himself as he goes to the bathroom and throws cold water on his face, the doctor's words coming back to haunt him. “You are a soldier, nothing more. You are disposable, you will NEVER mean anything to anyone. The only mark you will make is on the battle field.” He looks in the mirror, the numbers taunting him, series 07, batch 21, subject 09. He punches the mirror shattering it, embedding shards of glass in his hand, the pain was some how comforting, it lessened the knife in his heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More reader/Gideon action is coming soon ;) Feedback is appreciated as always. :D


	4. Never Giving Up on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon makes things right with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games. This is Fan fiction I wrote.
> 
> Also, the last section is smut. You have been warned.

-Your POV-

You walk quickly to Ilona's room, your mind racing. He confessed his love to you, he KISSED you, then he left. He grounded you, and he left. The worst of it was, you didn't see his heart rip until you apologized for leading him on. You had tried to make things better, but you only made things worse. Ilona would know what to do, she always did. You just hoped she was there.

You were in luck, she was just getting ready to head to the gym it looked like. You just walk in and fall onto her bed, letting the tears flow. Ilona looks at you in shock. “I fucked up, I fuck up bad...” you say between sobs.

“What happened, princess?”

“GIDEON! Gideon fucking happened...” You sob harder and hold Ilona's pillow like you would die if you let go. Ilona sits down next to you, she pulls you onto her shoulder and lets you cry. “What did he do?”

“He... he told me that he loved me, then he kissed me.” You sob harder into Ilona's shoulder.

“And what did you do?” Her accent became more punctuated, she was concerned or angry. You really didn't care to figure out which. “I... I froze. I didn't know what to do. I..I apologized for leading him on. Then he.. he grounded me and walked out. He just got so cold...” You continue sobbing into her shoulder, but she's silent. She just lets you cry.

-Gideon's POV-

 

Gideon washed his hands, digging out the glass with his fingers. He knew he probably needed stitches, but he didn't care. He didn't mind the pain, it made it easier to forget. He wanted to take it all back. Waiting for her seemed romantic, but it just scared her. It was out of character for him, why did he do that? He should have brought flowers, hand picked from the woods, there was a patch of violets. He should have told her how well the purple brought out her beautiful [y/ec] eyes. He should have asked her to dinner, or a picnic where he had gotten the violets, anything except pinning her to the couch and kissing her.

She didn't even freeze, think about it, she just apologized. She apologized for leading you on. The truth though, was that he had loved her before that. He had fallen in love with the blind girl that wanted to learn how to fight. He had fallen in love with her six years ago, before she ever saw his face. All of the instructors refused to teach her. She was blind, how could she function, let alone fight, but she did. Gideon had taught her, she explained to him how she could function by herself.

Mr. Irons put it on the books a spinal implant that energized her nervous system, but in reality it was a serum. Some how they were able to recreate the formation of her spinal cord. It saved her from a life of paralysis, and also gave her a sixth sense. She was able to feel things coming. Gideon had discovered that the first day of training with her. Gideon smiled at the memory as he pulled an especially large shard of glass from his left hand. She had felt his kick coming, he had gone slow because she was blind. [y/n] had caught his leg and kicked his bollocks, hard. She was strong, even for some one who wasn't blind, and that had been the first time she ever touched him, when they were sparring. He wondered what would have happened if he had confessed to her sooner, maybe things would be different, he sighed. He would never have a chance now, the tears started to fall again. They weren't the sobs of before, no, now they were tears of regret.

There is a knock on the door from the hall, “Fuck me.” He wraps his hand in a towel and answers it. Ilona is standing there, a passive look on her face. He had seen this this face before, just before she beat the hell out of who she was interrogating. Her accent was strong, her voice angry, “What did you do to her? I mean exactly.”

Gideon sits on his bed and motions for her to sit across from him. She moves inside, but remains standing. Gideon takes a deep breath, clenching his injured hand in the towel. “After breakfast, with Joker and her... I just felt threatened, like I was going to lose her forever... to him, or someone else. When we left breakfast, I went to the range, to try and shake it, but I couldn't. I waited in her room for her... I thought it would be romantic. I thought that she would react differently to me being there... I asked her sit, she..she had this horrified look on her face. I had thought about what I would say, but the only words I could say were 'I love you'. She was just, shocked, and I just couldn't help myself. I pinned her to her couch and I kissed her. I stopped when she didn't respond, but she just apologized. She apologized for leading me on, she said she didn't think I would actually love her. I grounded her and left after that.”

“Well, wonderful job. She came to me sobbing, and I had to sedate her to get her to calm down.”

“You think I don't feel pain? Heartbreak?” Gideon unwraps his hand from the bloody towel, “I have loved her for years, since she was that blind girl, begging to be taught how to fight. You act like I'm never affected by how others respond to me. I fucked up, the one person who mattered the most to me...” He tried to hold back the sobs, but fails, “she'll never look at me again...” He holds his face in his hands, not caring about the blood. Ilona shakes her head and sits next to him, rubbing his back, “She doesn't hate you Gideon, but she needs to hear this, not me.”

 

-6 hours later (3rd person)-

 

Gideon walked quickly to Ilona's room, hoping she would still be there. He was going to make this right, one way or another. He knew it was kind of late for flowers, but he couldn't think of anything else. He would be better this time, he flexed his injured hand. Eighteen stitches was a fair price to pay for a chance with the Iron Princess. 

He stopped in front of the door and hesitated, what if she wasn't there, he would be knocking on Ilona's door with flowers. He considered turning around, leaving amends for another day. He shook his head, no, he would make this right, tonight. He takes a deep breath and knocks on the door, waiting for what seemed like a thousand years. Finally she opens the door, he woke her up.

You yawn, rubbing you tear swollen eyes, “What do you need Captain?”

Gideon's first thought was You, but that wouldn't get him very far, “I need to apologize for earlier, may I come in?”

-Your POV-

 

“Can you wait until tomorrow? I just got to sleep.” You had spent most of the night crying, not because he confessed to you, but because you froze. You didn't know what to do, so you backed off or tried to at least, and that had bitten you in the ass. You didn't want him to go, but you didn't want him to see you cry either. No one except your father has EVER seen you cry.

Gideon shook his head, “If I wait until tomorrow, I won't have the strength to do this, and these flowers won't last the night.”

Gideon had brought you flowers, from the looks of them, wild flowers. “Fine, 10 minutes, but you stay on the other side of the table.” You let him in and sit down on the bed, crossing your legs.

 

-Gideon's POV-

He had gotten this far, he wasn't going to waste those 10 minutes. He walks in after you, watching you walk. You're wearing leggings and a form fitting grey tank top. He sits in the chair across from you and takes a deep breath. He had to be smoother this time, “I'm sorry for earlier,” 

“We all make mistakes Gideon.” You say, trying not to cry when you see his hand bandaged and bloody.

“No, let me finish. I meant earlier to be... romantic. Waiting for you seemed like a good idea at the time. I saw that going much differently in my head, but I do love you. I have loved you since I first met you. I fell in love with that defiant, blind girl. I never said anything because I was afraid that your father would disapprove, or worse you felt nothing towards me. But today, in the mess, hearing Joker... I know he means it all as a joke, but I can't help but feel... territorial. I couldn't keep it in any more. I am sorry it happened the way it did, if I could go back and change it I would, but I can't. You mean more to me than anyone I've ever known. I can't lose you.” Gideon let out a sob and flexed his hand, “I just can't.”

 

-Your POV-

Gideon is crying in front of you, Gideon is CRYING OVER you, over losing you. You can't help but feel something, something you usually never feel. It isn't pity, but a different kind of love. Gideon loves you, and you love him, you always did. You just never realized it. 

You get up and take the flowers from him and put them down on the table, you sit on his lap and tilt his head up to look at you. You can't help but notice how beautiful he is, even when he's been crying. You kiss him, gently, resting your forehead against his, “I'm so sorry, I was scared. People tend to avoid or dump you when they find out that you were born blind and paralyzed. I never realized how I felt about you. I thought it was just friendship, but it was more than that. I love you Gideon, never give up on me.”

-Gideon's POV-

She loves me, was all Gideon could think. She was just as scared as he. He pulls her into a kiss, not like before, not demanding, but sweet. He wouldn't do anything unless she wanted him to. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He could feel her breasts pressed against him, firm, but soft.

-Your POV-

You could feel Gideon hard beneath you. His kiss was becoming strained, he was struggling to keep from dominating you like he did before. You shift so that you're straddling him, so he can feel your wetness. You moan softly as his hips jerk involuntarily, the bulge in his pants grazing you where you're most sensitive.

He deepens the kiss, sliding his hand under your tank top to the small of your back, his calloused hand slowly making its way across your belly, up to your breasts where he fondles them gently, teasing your nipple with his thumb. You raise your arms and he takes off your top, discarding it.

“You're beautiful.” He says softly as he takes one of your nipples into his mouth, biting gently. You moan loudly as he does, encouraging him, “You like it rough, don't you?”

You grind against him, making him grunt, “You've got no idea how rough I like it,” You bite his tattoo, a bit less than gentle, kissing it softly afterwards.

 

-Gideon's POV-

So that's how she wants to play it. Gideon thought, he was going to hold back, make tonight about her, but that idea was quickly fading. If she wanted rough, that was what she would get. He picked her up and threw her down on the bed, pulling off his shirt as he knelt over her, fire in his eyes and his groin. Even in the dark he could see the wet spot on her leggings. She was dripping wet, for him and no one else. 

As she laid there, touching her own breasts she slid a hand down under her leggings into her sex. He watched her play with herself as he freed himself from his shoes and his pants. She knew how to tease him, but he would tease her another night. He pulled her leggings off, savoring the silkiness of her legs. He was going to savor tonight, the night he had been waiting for for years.

He spread her legs wider as he knelt between them, stroking his erection. “Do you know how long I've waited for this?” He asked his voice thick with lust, “How long I've waited to feel you, to touch you, to smell you,” He positions the head of his cock at her entrance, “To taste you?” He takes your [dominant] hand and sucks on your fingers one at a time, savoring the taste as he thrusts into you sharply, burying himself inside you. He grunts loudly and you moan, clamping your legs down on his sides.

-Your POV-

Why did you wait years for this, to have this perfect man inside you. You pull him into a dominating kiss as he continues to thrust into you sharply, he may be on top but this was your night. He seems to get the message as he shifts his angle, using your leg as leverage to pull himself deeper inside.

You moan into his mouth as his thrusts start to become unsteady, he's close, but your closer. With one final, sharp thrust you scream as your walls clench around him. It drives him over the edge as he slams into you one last time, desperate to go deeper as he fills you with his seed.

 

He collapses on top of you, panting and exhausted, “Fuck me...”

“I believe I just did,” You laugh softly, enjoying his weight on you.

He laughs softly as he rolls onto his back, pulling you with him and the sheet up over you in one fluid motion. You nuzzle into his chest and listen to his voice as you fall asleep, “I'm never giving up on you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first smut chapter I've written, feedback is appreciated as always :)


	5. See you on the other side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is one last person you need to make things right with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: This is Fan Fiction I wrote, the characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games.

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon wakes up alone in bed wondering if last night really happened or if it was all a dream. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He noticed that he wasn't in his own bed, and he was naked. He smiled, last night definitely wasn't a dream. He gets out of bed and runs his hand through his hair, where was [y/n]? More importantly, where were his clothes?

-Your POV-

You walked into the mess hall smiling, your hair pulled back. You were wearing Gideon's shirt and boxer briefs, but your own pants. Those you had hidden underneath towels back in Ilona's room. It was the best way to keep him from leaving, because then you had to go find him. It was just so much simpler leaving him there, naked. Ilona had spent the night in your room. You hadn't felt like going back there after what had happened. Best. Decision. Ever.

Joker and Ilona are in the usual spot, Ilona is quietly sipping her coffee and Joker is looking for you. You had no intention of staying here, you just hoped you could get coffee and food without them seeing you. You finish stacking the two plates with scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. No one questioned why you had two plates, you always did. But you weren't going to eat that much today, not when you had work to do. You blush thinking about last night as you get coffee and juice for the two of you, only one glass of juice though.

Suddenly Ilona is next to you, refilling her coffee, “How are you doing, [y/n]?”

“I'm great,” you say back, meaning it. You weren't going to lie to her. She would figure out you had sex in her bed anyway, why postpone the inevitable?

“Are you sure, I haven't seen Gideon and you spent the night in my room. I highly doubt that you're great.”

You take a sip from one of the mugs, marking it with your lip stick you put on just for that purpose, “I never drink two mugs of coffee.” You wink at her and walk out of the mess hall with the food, Joker never catching sight of you. Still you had the mental image of Ilona standing there shaking her head, it made you laugh.

You get back to Ilona's room with the food, other people giving you strange looks as you walk down the halls dressed in an over-sized shirt and leggings. When you open the door Gideon covers himself with a pillow, probably thinking it would be Ilona who walked in.

“Good morning Captain.” You say with a smile as he blushes red, “Coffee?” You ask as you put the tray with food down on the table.

“Actually, how about we start with my underwear.”

“Ahh, see, no can do. These are mine now.” You pull off your leggings and sit down, drinking from the fresh mug of coffee.

“So you went to get food wearing MY clothes, some one's been naughty.” He puts the pillow back on the bed, revealing his half erect cock. You sip your coffee calmly and cross your legs. He had no idea how much him sitting there naked affected you. “So you're going to punish me? I don't think so.” You say, there was no way he was going to spank you or do anything like that. You liked it rough, but you didn't swing like that.

 

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon smirked as he widened his legs slightly, “Oh really... I think I can, without even touching you.” She didn't think he knew how turned on she was. She put on a good face sure, but the way she drank her coffee gave her away. She dragged her tongue around the rim, she only does that when she's teasing him. Two could play at that game, “You know what princess, you can keep those. I like them better on you anyway.” Gideon starts stroking his cock slowly, watching her. Her eyes widen as she realizes what he's doing. He starts to pick up his pace, when she looks away, blushing. “Something wrong, love?”

“Can you put that away? I'm trying to eat breakfast.” She pulls her hair down in front of her eyes.

“As I recall, you're the one who took my clothes. If didn't want to see it you should have left me my pants.” He saw her biting her lip, trying not to look, and failing. He watched her squeeze her legs harder together, he smiled and set a fast pace, watching her.

 

-Your POV-

Okay, so maybe you shouldn't have taken his clothes, but he's sitting in front of you masturbating. And it was making you hot, but you couldn't let him know that. You had tried to look away, but how could you? He's sitting in front of you, making all of the noises that turned you on. It was hot, but it was making you frustrated, because YOU weren't the one doing it. He grunts loudly and spreads his legs wider, playing with his balls as he looks at you. Maybe this is what he meant by punishing you, having fun and leaving you out of it. And it was working, but enough is enough.

He closes his eyes and you get up, stripping off his shirt. You kneel between his legs and lick the tip of him, tasting his precum. His eyes snap open as you stop his hand and suck on the tip, hard. “Fuck me...” he groans. You take his hands away as you go as far as you can, letting him hit the back of your throat. Not having a gag reflex has its advantages. You moan on him as you touch yourself, he grunts again, taking a fistful of your hair. You make eye contact with him as you pull off and swirl your tongue around the tip.

 

-Gideon's POV-

He was supposed to be the one punishing her, but this felt too damn good. He'd always wanted to feel that smart mouth on his cock, and she was playing with herself on top of it, wearing HIS underwear. She squeezed his balls gently as she went all the way again, swallowing around him. He grunted again and pulled on her hair. He wouldn't last long if she kept this up, but he wasn't going to last either. He could see her start to flush, “Go ahead, come.”

 

-Your POV-

His words were enough by themselves, you moan as you come. He thrusts sharply into your mouth, his cock throbbing. You bare your teeth around the base of his cock making him come down your throat. You swallow as he holds you there, pulling your hair. He doesn't let you go until he's soft again. You stand up wobbly, as you put his shirt back on, very satisfied with yourself. You sit back down in your chair and cross your legs, drinking your coffee. You smirk at him, “Coffee, Captain?”

“Please.” You hand him the mug marked with your lip stick, he takes a long sip from where the mark is. He looks at you, “Now, about my pants...”

You laugh as you grab a strip of bacon, “They're under the towels in the bathroom.” He gets up laughing and you savor the sound of his laughter and the sight of him walking naked. This is the Perfect morning.

 

-2 hours later-

You knock on Will's door, you hear a muffled voice, “It's open.” You take a deep breath and walk in. He was leaving today, but after what happened with you and Gideon you realized how muck you needed to make things right. The last thing you wanted was for Will to leave and die thinking that you hated him. “Will, do you have a minute?”

He was packing, quite angrily. Dad must've tried to talk him out of it again. He doesn't look at you, “Tell the old man to shove it up his ass.”

“I'm not here because of dad.” You say, unphased. “I respect that you want to be a marine. As much as I wish you would stay, I know that there is no changing your mind.” You start to tear up a bit, and he stops packing and looks at you, “But the last thing I want is for you to leave, and something happens... I don't want you to die hating me.” You sit in the chair in front of his desk and start sobbing. You knew that you might lose your brother forever, but it hadn't really hit you. Not until now, looking into his grey eyes, so much like mom's.

“It's ok sis, we aren't Irons for nothing. I'll come back.” He kneels in front of you and you just sob. He was always there even when you didn't want him to be. You look at him and smile sadly. He gives you a puzzled look. “What?” you ask.

“You never apologize this fast, what's gotten into you?” He asks, pulling hair out of your face. You smile, thinking about this morning and last night. Gideon waking you up at 0300 had been the best thing that happened to you in awhile. More important than that though, it taught you not to wait to make things better. If he had waited until the morning it would have been too late for the both of you. “A guy...” you look down, blushing. Gideon had put one of the violets in your hair this morning. It was the only one to last the night.

“And what's his name? I want to send him a condolence card.” You look up at him, his face is serious, but his eyes are laughing. You decide to play along.

“You actually know him already.”

“I thought you didn't date Atlas people.” He raises an eyebrow.

“Who said anything about dating?” You can't hold your laughter any more, he look's angry, but his eyes are glowing with happiness. He plays with his wedding ring, “Been there, done that... it's not all it's cracked up to be.”

It takes a little for you two to stop laughing and Will zips his bag, “But seriously, who do I thank for making you happy?” You stand up and straighten the violet in you hair. “Gideon.”

He starts laughing again, “It only took him 6 years to tell you. I owe Ilona $25”

“Since when do you make bets on my love life?” You ask , you couldn't believe he made a bet with Ilona of all people.

“Since Joker started trying to court you, princess.” He laughs, he knows you want to hear more so he tells you. “Ilona was standing there when Gideon first called you that. She said she'd never seen him happier than when he was with you. He was so stiff though, so I made the bet that you would sleep with Joker before you slept with Gideon.”

“That makes me feel less guilty about having sex in Ilona's bed.” $25 was enough for the new set of sheets that she most likely would buy. Will looks at you disbelieving, “In her bed... this sounds like an interesting story.”

“Unfortunately its a long one. I'll tell you when you come back, there's a bus waiting in front of the gates. I talked to the driver, he said he got ahead of schedule thanks to short cuts, whatever that means. But you should hurry, before there aren't any seats left.” You sigh, this was goodbye. You look at him sadly one more time and hug him.

“Hey,” He kisses you forehead, “I'll see you on the other side [y/n].” He picks up his bag and walks out the door, his steps full of life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! The feedback is really helpful.


	6. I can explain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna summarize just read it lol ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I wrote this work of fan fiction, The characters belong to Activision/Sledgehammer games

-Your POV-

You finish putting on your earrings and check yourself in the mirror. Gideon had told you to dress nice, but not fancy. He said he wanted to do something special for your half year mark, whatever that meant. You touch up your lip stick and slip on your heels, not too high though. You liked it when he was taller than you. You didn't do anything with your eyes though, Gideon wasn't really partial to make up. You smooth the front of your dark green dress and grab your purse, he said he'd be here at 2030.

You feel your phone vibrate, you almost drop your phone in surprise. The only number that would come through tonight was you dad's. Dad never called this late, especially considering he was in Tokyo and Gideon had just gotten back from a surprise mission. You had offered to cancel tonight but he had insisted no, he could be so stubborn, you smile and answer your phone.

“Hi, Daddy!” You say with a smile, you hoped it wouldn't take long, Gideon would be here any minute.

“Hey, sweetie.” He said, sad... something was definitely wrong.

“What's wrong dad? What happened?” You say, starting to panic.

“Nothing, I'm just on my way home. I'll be there in the morning. I just wanted to call my little angel.”

Yeah, right there was nothing wrong. He hasn't called you his little angel since they made your optics. “Dad, what happened? I know you, what happened?” You wipe tears from under your eyes, there weren't many people who could scare you but your dad was one of them.

You heard him sigh on the other end of the phone, “Will, he... he was killed”

 

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon smoothed his hair back, he was wearing black jeans and a dark green button up. He fondled the box in his pocket, making sure it was there. The last thing he wanted was to be on one knee with no ring.

He was just outside your door when he heard you scream. He barged in just in time to catch you as you collapsed onto the floor in tears. You had dropped you phone, Gideon saw the picture and knew. Nothing affected you ever, except family. Gideon faintly hear the phone, “[y/n], are you there. Damn it,[y/n] answer me.”

You go to get the phone, but Gideon picks it up before you, “Sir, I've got her. She isn't hurt.”

“Gideon, good. Stay with her, I don't want my girl to be alone.” He hangs up the phone before Gideon had a chance to respond. He had no intention of leaving you alone. He throws the phone on your coffee table and kisses the top of your head. “Shh... Princess. I've got you.” He wanted to tell you it would be ok, but he knew it wouldn't be, not for a long while. He'd lost men before, it tore him apart inside, he couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a brother.

He just sat there and held you, it felt like hours or minutes. The rest of the world meant nothing now. Everything was you in his arms, sobbing holding onto him for dear life. He wouldn't let you go, not now, not ever.

-Your POV-

Those five words shattered your entire world. Will was dead, gone. The only thing keeping you from collapsing completely was Gideon. His arms and his voice tethered you to the world. He loved you and you knew he wouldn't let you go. He wouldn't tell you it would be ok. He knew it wouldn't do anything. He knew right now you just needed him. You thought about your last conversation with Will, he wanted you to be happy, and he was happy it was Gideon. Will would want you to be happy, you knew that. Gideon had something planned, something special. You were in no shape to go out, but that didn't mean anything.

You wipe your eyes and turn to face him. He looks at you, his eyes look as sad as you feel. “You didn't make reservations, did you?”

He shakes his head. “No, reservations mean fancy clothes, and I don't own a single suit.”

You laugh softly and kiss him. He kisses you back softly, and he pulls you closer. The way he holds you, it's protective, reassuring. His hand tangles itself in you hair, holding you close to him. He pulls you into a warm embrace. “I love you, [y/n]”

You put your hand on his right leg and you feel something hard, a box. “That isn't where your penis is supposed to be...”

 

-Gideon's POV-

_Shit_ she found the ring. Gideon let out a sigh, “Fuck me..., I'm sorry.” He takes your left hand and kisses it.

“What's in the box?” She really wanted to know didn't she? How could he propose to her now, she just found out her brother is dead. Would she be marrying him because she's sad, or because she wanted to really? _Fuck it, she already found it_. Gideon pulls the box out of his pocket slowly.

“[y/n] [m/n] Irons, Princess, will you marry me?”

 

-Your POV-

He opens the box revealing an engagement ring, gold with a large white diamond in the center, flanked by two black diamonds. He was proposing, that's why he wanted you to dress up. Yes, you were in the clutches of despair, but here was Gideon with a light in the darkness. “Yes.” The truth was you would've said yes six months ago in Ilona's bed.

You can't help but smile at the look of delight in his eyes as he slips the sized ring on your finger. He kisses you passionately, and picks you up. He carries you to your bed and lays you down gently. He pulls off your heels and nylons slowly, taking his time. He kisses you from your ankle up to your knee as he kicks off his shoes. You giggle as he does, his stubble tickling your calf. He does the same up your other calf, his tongue tracing a scar on you knee.

You sit up to look at him. He stalks toward you, the image of a predator. His hands trace their way up your thighs under your dress, “We're linked you know that? I wanted you to wear this to look like mine. And here you are.” He pulls your dress up slowly to your waist.

He kisses his way across your inner thigh, to your clit. He teases it with his tongue, making you cry out. This was what you wanted tonight, what you needed. You needed his strength, some one else to take control. “Shit...” He teases you for a bit longer, his eyes alive with lust. He eases two fingers slowly inside you, curling instantly at your spot. He knew your body better than you did.

You start to tense, your orgasm fast approaching, but he pulls out before you come, leaving you wanting. You whimper softly as he makes his way farther up your body pulling your dress up with him. “Shh... love, I've got something I know you like more.” He kisses his way up your body, pulling your dress up over and off your head. He teases your breasts with his hands as looks into your eyes, “Do you know how sweet you are?” He kisses you dominating your mouth, you moan letting him have his way with you.

 

-Gideon's POV-

She was the sweetest woman he's ever met, in every way. And she was in pain, she was tough, but she was in pain. Tonight though, she didn't have to be. She started to unbutton his shirt, but he stopped her. “No love, tonight you just enjoy. Let me take care of you.”

He sits back on his knees and takes off his shirt revealing scars and a fresh flesh wound. You looked down at his crotch, the bulge straining in his pants. He get's off the bed and finishes undressing himself. He crawls between your legs, repeating the same circuit as before, except he was biting instead of kissing. She loved it, every little sound she made made him twitch. He made his way up her body, lining himself up with her. He prodded her gently as he kissed her, savoring her moans of pleasure.

In one sharp smooth thrust he was fully inside her, she had become truly his, she fit him better than any glove. He let out a loud grunt as she contracted around him immediately. “You've been ready for me haven't you?”

She wrapped her legs around his back, egging him on. He couldn't last much longer, he was already panting. She had almost come once, and he knew she was ready for him, “Scream for me, scream my name.” He put his arm by her head supporting himself, looking into her eyes. He gave her a sharp thrust making her moan. His thrusts became irregular, as she moaned his name.

He wanted more than that, he wanted her to scream. He put his full weight into each thrust, and she did scream as she came. He put his mouth over her's drinking her cries as he came himself, stilling inside her.

As he softened he rolled to the side, turning off the lamp. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head again. “I promised you, I'll never give up on you.”

 

-10 hours later, Your POV-

You wake up in day light, alone in bed. _Last night must have been a dream_. You sit up and rub your eyes. You feel the metal of your engagement ring against your cheek. You open your eyes and look at it, the diamonds sparkling in the morning light. You smile, but then you remember that Will is gone now. You sigh and get out of bed, wincing. For the first time in a long time you were sore. You pick up Gideon's shirt and wrap it around yourself and walk to the kitchen where Gideon is making breakfast.

Gideon looks at you and smiles sadly, “You know we're at your place. Why are you wearing my shirt?”

You shrug and get yourself a mug of coffee, “Things that you wear are just more comfortable.” You make your coffee and set it on the table wrapping your arms around him. He puts one arm around you and flips pancakes with the other. You had a kitchen because you wanted your own apartment even though dad insisted you lived in the compound. So he added a third story to the barracks and made you a relative pent house, nothing but the best for his princess. Before you were understandably upset, but now you were glad, you were close to Gideon. You nuzzled into his chest, happy he was warm.

“How are you feeling? His voice was soft, comforting. You weren't exactly sure. You knew your brother was gone, you wouldn't see him again. But the love of your life asked you to marry him last night. You were happy, gleeful even, but despair still had a hold on you.

“Happy, considering. I may have lost William, but I still have you.” You start crying silently, he flips the last pancake and turns toward you.

“Hey, we'll get through this. I love you, I'm never leaving you.” He kisses your tears away and combs his fingers through your tangled hair. He lets go of you with one arm to stir a pan of scrambled eggs. “Ready to eat?”

“What if I don't want pancakes right now?” You ask, kissing a scar on his bare chest. He laughs softly and turns the pans off, lifting you up and wrapping your legs around his waist. He kisses you softly as you tangle your hands in his hair.

“Gideon, I had more faith in you.” Your father's voice came from across the room, disappointed. Gideon puts you down quickly, trying to cover your bare legs. His shirt was just long enough to cover anything important.

“Sir, I can explain.” He steps in front of you, trying to hide you from sight. Your father had never looked worse. He had bags under his eyes, he hadn't slept in days it seemed, probably since he found out Will was being deployed. His clothes were rumpled, a stark change from his usual pristine suits.

“[Y/n], go put on some clothes.” You walk away, pulling Gideon's shirt tighter around you, and hiding your face with your hair. You pull the door shut and whisper a prayer, _why did he have to find out like that_?

 

-Gideon's POV-

“I thought you were better than that Gideon. How could you take advantage of MY daughter, my little angel, after she found out her brother was murdered.” He was angry, he wasn't shouting but Gideon could tell that wasn't far behind.

“Sir, I would never do that, I would never take advantage of [y/n].” Gideon had intended to tell him. He just wanted to wait until she had said yes. Now, though was damage control.

Now came the shouting, “Don't lie to me Captain! I walk in to find her legs wrapped around you like some cheap prostitute and you haven't taken advantage of her?”

“I was just outside the door when you called. We were going to dinner.” Gideon tried to stop the tears, but the most he could do was keep from sobbing, forcing himself to stay silent. Gideon felt his pain, [y/n] never went on her back without a fight until last night. She needed him to be strong for her and here he was crying in front of her father, his boss, the man who saved him from a life on the streets in London.

“That's adorable, the science experiment and the princess. I loved that story. Have you even told her? Does she even know you weren't born?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Gideon clenched his fists, of course he was going to tell her, just not last night. He loved you nothing would ever change that, and he was sure she would feel the same. At least he hoped.

“No, of course not. What makes you think I would ever let that happen anyway?” Johnathan Irons was not a man to lose his temper easily, but he lost his son and he would say anything to keep from losing his daughter.

 

-Your POV-

“You don't LET me do anything. I sleep with who I want. I love Gideon and nothing is going to change that. He has things he needs to explain, yeah, but I know he will.” You'd had enough, you come out of your bedroom in jeans, still wearing Gideon's shirt. Your father was just berating him. You understood that he thought Gideon had taken advantage of you. It was understandable. You didn't blame him.

“[y/n]-” Your father begins, but you cut him off, “And I'll have you know he put a ring on it.” You hold up your left hand and hold Gideon's with your right.

It was your father's turn to cry. He was angry, but not at Gideon. You knew that, you could read him. He was angry that he didn't make will stay, that he just pushed him away. Gideon sleeping with you was just a vent for his anger. “I lost Will, I can't lose you too.” He sits down in one of the chairs at the table, his head in his hands. You go to him and pull up a chair in front of him.

“Hey, dad. I'm right here, you aren't going to lose me. I'm right here, I'm not leaving. Will is gone, but now we have to decide how we go on. Do we sit here in pity, or do we make sure it means something?”

You put a hand on his arm as Gideon dishes three plates, he sets one in front of your father who pushes it away. You go to says something until Gideon puts a strong hand on your father's shoulder,

“You need to eat, the world's lost more than enough good men today.” At Gideon's words your father sits up and takes the fork Gideon's offered him in a shaky hand.

“Do you have any strawberries?” Your father asks as he pulls his plate in front of him. You get up and take a bowl of strawberries from the fridge and set them in front of him. He cores one and halves it with his fork. He hands you the bigger half and you cut a piece of pancake and wrap the strawberry in it. He does the same and you eat them together. His lips curl up in a smile as he remembers feeding you when you could first eat solid food. Gideon kisses the top of your head and sits next to you, pouring you a glass of apple juice.

 


	7. So it begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William's Funeral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter hope you enjoy :)  
> DISCLAIMER: I wrote this fan fiction, the characters are property of Sledgehammer/Activision games

-Your POV-

 

You watch with tears in your eyes as six marines carry your brother's casket to his grave. You still couldn't believe William was gone. The brother who taught you how to walk, how to feel things coming was gone. You stare at the photo of him in uniform, his grey eyes serious. There was no trace of the brother he wanted to know every detail of your first night with Gideon. The portrait staring back at you was a soldier, a marine, not your brother. You let out a sob, wishing Gideon was there with you. Dad had sent him on assignment again. He said it was because Gideon was one of his best, but you knew different. He was still upset at you, at Gideon for falling in love.

True, Gideon had been born in a lab, subjected to all kinds of experiments, tortured, beaten, forced to become the perfect soldier. He had been given a number, not a name. You had always been curious about the tattooed numbers on his face, but you never asked. He remembered the doctors poking at him, beating him, pushing him until he broke and then another six miles. He was able to fool them into thinking he was a failure, but he wasn't. He was stronger, faster, more durable. He made fools of them all and escaped. The guards had gotten lazy, he was able to slip past them without a problem.

Dad had been at a meeting with the Prime Minister when Gideon stole his wallet. Gideon was still to this day a pick pocket to be reckoned with. Dad's personal guard chased him down. They were about to kill him when Dad stopped them. He had been impressed with the fact that Gideon had been able to slip past highly trained Atlas personnel, and offered him a job. Still, as impressed as he had been with Gideon he still wasn't good enough for Dad's princess.

You can only listen to so much of the Sargent's sermon. He was talking about Will as a soldier, not a son, a brother, a friend or a husband. This was a memorial for Will the soldier. You practically run to the limo crying. Will's best friend, Jack was there. He had lost his left arm in the same explosion that took your brother's life. He stood at the head of Will's casket at attention. He was the image of a marine, his features still and lifeless. His bright blue eyes on the other hand, were an ocean of emotion. Sadness at his friend's death, anger at those who took his life, and even more, anger at the fact that he'd been discharged. Will may have died, but those who had given Jack Mitchell purpose now turned their back to him.

Once safe in the limo you let the tears fall freely. Will wouldn't want you to cry, but you couldn't help it. You shouldn't be crying, it corroded the lenses in your eyes. You'd already had them replaced three times these past twelve days. You could already see the difference, the world was becoming cloudy. You don't know how long you were in the limo, but Dad gets in. He looks upset, not with you though.

“Will was more than a soldier.” He was the first to speak, yet he captured all of your feelings with that one sentence. You cry harder and wipe your eyes.

“Did you talk to Jack?” You say between forced breaths. Dad had said he was going to offer him a second chance. You knew yourself he made good on his offers. The prosthetics available were state of the art.

“I did, I think he'll be calling to say yes in a few days.” You nod and kiss your engagement ring, it was an odd thing to do, but it made you feel closer to Gideon. “Gideon will be back tonight, angel.” You stay silent for a few minutes. The marines were holding a reception, you really didn't want to go to. “Dad can I just go back to the hotel? I can't take another 'I'm sorry for your loss'.” Your father nods at the driver and you spend the rest of the ride in silence. He knew how you felt, it was harder even for him. He only had you to comfort him. His loss was half of his legacy. The only thing he would be glad about is the fact that Gideon had no surname, which meant that he would become an Irons.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting from here I will not be following the game time line with Irons being the bad guy. I will be posting that as a separate work, Knight of Sentinel after this one is concluded or Vice versa let me know which one you want in the comments :)


	8. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not really anything special, just a bit of background and some smut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: These characters are property of Activison/Sledgehammer games, I wrote the story

 

-Your POV-

Dad was right. Three days later Jack Mitchell joined Atlas. Mitchell had been the last one to see Will alive. You were looking forward to getting to know him better. He wouldn't be training for a month at least. You knew yourself that the artificial nerves take a few weeks to get used to. It was three months before your eyes were completely functional, something about the body assimilating the electronic nerves and grafting them on to the existing biological nerves.

Gideon wasn't very happy about being stuck with a new rookie. He liked his team the way it was. You and Ilona covered his and Joker's asses. You never failed a mission, no matter the personal risks or the larger stakes. Now dad was benching you, until further notice. As much as it pissed you off you understood. Before there as always the assurance that Will would come back, but he was gone now. You were the last Irons that could have a child. You had to take over when dad finally passed, but you couldn't do that if you were killed in the field. There was also the little thing called your wedding.

You knew dad wasn't happy. Try as he might to hide it he wasn't happy it was Gideon. They didn't know enough about what was done to him. You didn't care, and dad knew it. He accepted it. Gideon would try to prove himself, he could never make up for the loss of William though. As much as you were your dad's miracle, Will was his arch angel. He had been grooming Will to become “King” of Atlas, but now it would be the Iron Princess on the throne.

You sit there, toying with your food thinking about the code name you had been given. Gideon had trained you from day one, even when you were still blind. You had begged to fight and he taught you. He would tease you, call you princess every time you knocked him on his ass. He would just laugh and say he let you because you were royalty. He hadn't know that for all practical purposes you were. You had told him a different name, you didn't want special treatment because you were an Irons. You smile at the sound Gideon made and what his face must have looked like. Dad didn't know you had been training until he walked in on you sparring with Gideon.

Gideon had been thoroughly admonished, in front of you. Dad knew you could function on your own, but he didn't know how far this compensating sense went. You felt each kick and jab coming. You were no use with guns, but you could fight. Dad was yelling at Gideon until he noticed you left. You went to another training group, where Jackson was. The final exams were going on, so naturally you had something to prove. You just jumped into the ring with Jackson. You father and Gideon found you and were going to stop the fight until they saw you. Daddy was quite impressed that his little 14 year old, blind miracle was going head to head with the best fighter he had and winning.

After you got out of the ring, Jackson having acknowledged defeat you couldn't help but feel the surge of pride as your father hugged you. He had realized then that you weren't some frail flower to be protected, Gideon had taken the frail poppy and turned you into foxglove. Dad sent you on your first mission when you were 16. He trusted alpha to take care of you, but you ended up taking care of them. Gideon and Joker had been pinned down by snipers. You managed to off all three of them with a MK-14 standard. When you got down to them and secured the prize Gideon just hugged you. What had he said, 'The Iron Princess doesn't need a knight in shining armor.'

 

-Gideon's POV-

She was so adorable when she was day dreaming. Her eyes just seemed so distant, so peaceful. She had a smile on her face, she was remembering something. She didn't even see him as he walked straight past her. Gideon smiled, she had been so sad the last few days. Burying Will hadn't helped her, it took away the hope that he was M.I.A and not K.I.A, all he wanted was for her to be happy. The new rookie helped her some. What was his name, Mitchell. Will's best friend the last to see him alive. She had been spending a lot of time with him the last few days, helping him get used to his arm. The neural prosthetics were still new. Her ability to walk and function had been a complete accident that they were never able to replicate. Her eyes were in the same class though, and they had their fair share of bugs. She had the lenses replaced again. She was still crying, when he would get back from an op late he would see her asleep on the couch. Her eyes would be red and puffy, a half eaten tub of [fav] ice cream next to her along with what few photos she had of them together.

Being one of the best had its down sides. He wasn't on base much, he had to leave her the day of his funeral. He should be with her, drowning her sorrow in pleasure, not leaving her alone. Damn Irons... no he shook his head, putting the thoughts out of his head. Johnathan Irons did what he had to, and Gideon was here now. He would make the most of it. He put down his tea and kissed her neck softly, stirring her from her reverie, “Penny for your thoughts, love.”

 

-Your POV-

You woke from your day dream to a silken voice and a kiss on your neck. Gideon was very charming when he wasn't a bat shit crazy captain. “The look on my father's face when he caught us sparring...”

“Is that all?” His voice became a purr as he bathed your neck in kisses. His arms came around in front of you and moved your hair to your other shoulder, giving him better access. You tilt your neck slightly as his hands settle on your stomach.

“The day you named me, the day I fell in love with you, truly.” You loved it when he was like this, so sweet, tender.

His stubble ticked your neck as he spoke into you, “I think about that day a lot actually. Knights in shining armor couldn't compete with my Iron Princess. That was the first time I had been scared in a long time, but you were there. I'd be dead without you.”

“I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you Giddy.” You smile as he squeezes you breast sharply. He hated when you called him that, but it had the desired effect.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” He nips the bottom of your ear gently. He pulls you tighter against your chair, “Do I need to punish you?”

He doesn't wait for you to answer, he just hauls you out of your chair and pins you against the counter. He attacks your mouth, not letting you have any taste of control. This was all him and you knew he would take his sweet time, or not.

He rips your t-shirt down the center exposing you completely. He bites your bottom lip as he pulls what remains of your shirt off. It was late evening, so you weren't wearing anything underneath. You moan loudly as he sets to work devouring your breasts. You're helpless, save to tangle your hands in his hair. He pulls back, snapping your head up as he sits you on your kitchen counter.

He kisses down your exposed, vulnerable neck. He pulls back to undress himself, pulling his shirt over his head faster that you had ever seen before. You try to get up and take some control, but he pins your hands above your head.

“No, not tonight Princess. This is what you get for calling me Giddy.” His voice is dark and thick with lust. He pulls down his pants and boxer briefs, kicking them off. He pulls off your shorts roughly, spreading your legs and pulling you to the edge. You fight and wrap your arms around him trying to gain control. You weren't exactly one to just let men have their way with you.

“So that's how it is?” He laughs darkly and unwraps himself from you, leaving you naked and panting, sitting exposed in your kitchen. He reaches down and pulls the drawstring from his sweat pants. He resumes his place between your legs. _What the FUCK, there is no way he's tying you up._

He's too fast, before you can pull away he has your hands in a vice grip. He wraps the cord around your wrist several times, tying a loose knot. It was tight enough to keep you, but not tight enough to hurt. He pulls you back the edge, “Now then, where was I?”

He thrusts sharply into you, grunting. He was enjoying this, the sick bastard. He had you tied up in your kitchen and he was fucking you like an animal. You try and break the knot, but it's just so hot. He isn't holding back. He's taking you for his, brutal in every way.

The way he thrusts up into you hits your spot every time he moves. Despite being tied up you were enjoying it. You were enjoying being forced into submission. You had no control, none. You moan louder than you ever have. He kneads your breasts roughly as he kisses you, biting every bit of you he can.

He pinches your nipple as he grips your hip with his other hand. You squeeze your legs around him as you climax, your external senses focused on only him. On his scent, his rough calloused hands gripping you, the look on his face as he follows bucking his hips sharply, the hot liquid of his seed spilling deep with in your womb. He rests his head on your chest as he pants, his exhaustion lasts only for a moment before he picks you up and carries you to bed. He lays you down and unties you. Your eye lids start to get heavy as he pulls the sheets up over you. He turns off the lights and climbs in with you, spooning you and kissing the back of your neck. He whispers as you fall asleep, “Sleep well, Princess.”

 

 

-The morning-

You wake up and stretch, every muscle in your body protesting. The shades were closed, but you could see beams of sun slipping through the cracks. You roll over to find Gideon gone. You sigh and sit up, pulling the sheet up to cover yourself. You rub your eyes remembering last night. He was just so...fierce. He needed you as much as you needed him, behind the darkness of his lust there was something else... fear. He was truly afraid to lose you. You get up slowly, wincing as your thighs touch. You pull back the sheet, revealing light bruising. He was never that rough, sure there would be a few scratches and marks, bet never bruising.

You stand slowly and stretch your back. You were sore again, you didn't know if it was from his “punishment” last night or from the simple fact it had been a while. Whichever it was it was worth it. He was an animal last night and you enjoyed every second of it, even being tied up. You flex your wrists, they were fine. You pull on a pair of his boxer briefs and a shirt of his, the shirt from your first night together. You had been wearing it to bed most nights, it made you feel closer to him.

You walk into the kitchen to see him waiting for you with a spinach omelet and toast waiting for you. He was making coffee, he had his back turned to you. You seize the opportunity.

 

-Gideon's POV-

_Good job Gid. You gave her bruises that are gonna hurt for days._ He wasn't exactly happy about it. He had been too rough with her last night, but he couldn't help himself. He was angry at everything, the fucked up world that killed her brother, her father for not letting him spend more time with her. He had just poured every bit of his anger into you. He saw the bruises when he woke up this morning, he thought for sure she would wake up and never want him again.

He felt her hands on his back, tracing the light claw marks she had left last night. He set the filter basket in the machine and flipped the switch. “How are you feeling?”

She didn't pause, she just kept tracing her pattern on his back. “Sore, a little bruised.” She kissed a scar on his back lightly, “But mostly hungry.”

“Coffee will be ready soon. Go ahead and sit down.” He hears her grab two glasses and open the fridge. He hears liquid being poured. She sets the glasses down and sits, Gideon turns and sits with her.

“Seriously, are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you.” She takes a bite of her omelet and washes it down with juice before she speaks.

“It isn't rough sex unless you walk away with a few bruises and scratches. Besides, I like it when you tie me up.” She winks at him and Gideon almost choked on his omelet. This was unbelievable. She never seemed like the kind to like that kind of shit. “Tied up only mind you, none of that other sick shit.”

Gideon holds his hands up in surrender, “I'm not complaining, love.” They eat in silence for a few more minutes. There's something bothering her, she had that distant look on her face.

“What's wrong [y/n]?” She smiled and started giggling like a little school girl. It wasn't anything bad then. She just had fluff in her head from sleep. Gideon relaxed, relieved.

“Nothing, it's just when are we going to tell Joker and Ilona?” Neither of you had told them and you were nothing but professional outside of privacy.

“Ilona probably knows, seeing as how we had sex on her bed.” He watches as she flushed at the memory. She was wearing the shirt from that night, he knew because it was an older Atlas logo, the last one he had.

“Just because we had sex wouldn't mean anything by itself. Mind you one night stands are a thing here.”

“True... but I vote we let them find out via wedding invitations.” Gideon winked at her, he knew she would go along with the plan. It was just something she would do.

“It appears I've been a bad influence on you Captain.” She took a bite of toast and got herself a cup of coffee.

“I wouldn't say that. You've just given me something I've never had. You, your father, Joker, Ilona the lot of 'em.”

“And what would that be?” She puts a mug of coffee down by his plate before kissing him lightly and sitting down herself.

“A family.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still haven't decided on a story change or not I will let you know. Feedback is very much appreciated as always ;)


	9. Don't let it go to your head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The months after will's funeral (Mission: Atlas in game)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games. I wrote the story

-Your POV-

It's been months since Will's funeral, Mitchell's training is progressing well. Dad is very impressed, as are you. He held on to Mitchell, knowing that he was the last person to see him alive. It seemed as though he was looking for a replacement son. You had spent some time with Jack, but not a whole lot, only when dad had him up for dinner. Gideon was never invited.

Dad never invited Gideon to anything. He made sure that Gideon knew he was still just another soldier. He refused to think of him as a son. You had yet to set a date, but you would be marrying Gideon. The only way it could get any worse is if Dad were to have an “Important Call” in the middle of dinner and not come back. Any hope Gideon had of earning the approval of Johnathan Irons was slowly slipping away. He didn't send Gideon on so many missions anymore, it was mostly training. Since Will's death dad grounded you completely, he didn't want to lose his last child. You came from a one night stand with a Russian woman.

Dad was drunk, she was on vacation, mom was on a trip, things happened. Mom was ridiculously angry for a short time, but she wasn't going to divorce him. Will needed both parents, and besides, Will had been a miracle for them, she had found out she had cancer just days after Will was born. She survived the massive tumor, but she was left totally sterile. Mom had wanted a daughter, a little girl she could play dress up with. The woman didn't want the baby, but she agreed to carry you. She was just going to give you up for adoption anyway.

In that way you were a two fold miracle. You survived after birth, thanks to Atlas and mom loved you. She loved you even though you were blind and paralyzed, she care for you. When you could walk and function you did everything moms and daughters did. Until she died, you were 12. Her[ cancer had come back with a vengeance. She had three primary tumors, in her brain, pancreas and left breast as well as multiple secondary tumors. She knew she would die, her last words to your father had been, “Give her my eyes.”

Since that day dad held you and Will closer, trying to hold on to remnants of his wife, the woman who loved him and forgave him despite infidelity. Will resisted and now he was dead, now he only had you and he felt as though he would be losing you to Gideon. The more Gideon assured him nothing would change the more fearful he became. Now though, it had gone to far.

Inviting Mitchell and not Gideon to dinner with the two of you was bothering the both of you. Gideon had been nothing but loyal and more over discreet. Ilona and Joker suspected nothing, no one did. You still spent time with your team even though you were grounded. It felt though that Dad was pushing you and Mitchell together. It was affecting how Gideon interacted with Mitchell.

 

-Gideon's POV-

 _Smug bastard._ Gideon thought as he put on his exo. Joker was prepping for another run and Mitchell was getting that blasted arm fixed. Irons was right, he was a good soldier but he hated how he was around [y/n]. Mitchell had been invited to dinner three separate times, every time had been a night he had something planned for her. [y/n] was having a hard time, he knew that. She wanted to spend more time with him, plan the wedding, but if she said no to her father it wouldn't do much good. It would only feed the fear that he would lose his daughter to Gideon. She had to go and did, reluctantly. Mitchell, the rookie, was being treated like a prince. It bothered Gideon and it showed.

As much as he tried not to be, he was jealous. The way Iron put his hand on Mitchell's shoulder, the way he spoke, it all said this is the man I want with my daughter. He was harder on Mitchell because of it. In the simulation earlier he didn't have to shoulder him. He could have just shot him, he should have, but hitting him square in the ribs was just too good to pass up. He would have bruised ribs for sure, but he didn't care. Gideon had shown him who was in charge.

Mitchell came out of the lab, flexing his fingers. Every time he came out of there they told him to check the calibration, off to the range they go. Mitchell's scored were always decent or better, by Gideon's standards any way, the machines were too nice. Irons would be watching this simulation and he would accept nothing but perfection. And that was what he got. Irons stepped out of the warbird and put his hand on Mitchell's shoulder again.

“It looks like we have and operator on our hands.” was what he had said.

“He's getting there, sir.” Gideon replied, hoping to tame the obvious enthusiasm. It was futile.

“Looks like you're ready for some real work.” All Gideon could do was nod, record fucking time for a rookie to get approval from Irons. He was good, but it still bothered him. He didn't seem like the type to show off, but he had been wrong before. Still, this meant another dinner that Gideon would not be invited to. Damn... [y/n] had been hoping to confirm a date. She was planning this engagement/reveal party for the team. The rookie had to fuck everything up tonight, he should have given him more than a bruised side. _Stop that Gid. He's a good soldier, he hasn't been arrogant, he respects you._ Gideon decides to listen to his inner voice, but still, if he tried to go after [y/n] he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be a gun to his head.

-6 hours later-

To his surprise and relief there was no impromptu dinner to celebrate. Gideon washed his face, thinking about [y/n]. It wasn't the first time he thought about them. He was scared to propose to her as it was, but then Will died. Everything happened so fast, he would have understood if she had wanted to back out. Her brother's death had hit her hard, but she still held onto him. It made him smile, that he was the one that she wanted no matter what was happening. His phone buzzed on the sink, the display flashed **ONE NEW MESSAGE: PRINCESS**.

He dried his hands and face, she texted him random sweet nothings. He opened the message, hoping for something romantic, maybe a gift. He was surprised to see a different message, it wasn't from her. The message was from her phone yeah, but it wasn't her. She always opened it with Giddy, as much as he usually hated it, it was reassuring because she was the only one who called him that. The message didn't sound like her at all

_Hey babe, I thought maybe we could_

_go out for a drink later maybe come back to_

_my place, or yours ;)_

What the hell?

-Your POV-

“Will you put my phone down? For fuck's sake Joker.” You nearly shout, Joker and Ilona had shown up just as you were getting ready to make dinner. They just barged in like they lived with you.

“Hey princess, I just wanted to see what was going on with you. We haven't seen you for days.” Joker sounded genuinely worried but there was no excuse to be had, Gideon would be here any minute and he probably wouldn't be in uniform. You shake your head and continue making dinner. They had to walk in as you were making steak. Gideon was very picky about his steak as were you, medium rare was difficult to say the least. Let alone with distractions.

“I'm fine, I've just been busy. Dad has me on administrative duty, he won't live forever.”

“Really? Because it seems like you've been avoiding us.” Ilona speaks quietly as you slip your ring onto your other hand. You weren't avoiding them, you just didn't think you could keep from telling them.

“I haven't been avoiding you. I've just had other things to do, and let's be honest how often have we been here at the same time?”

“Not often, but still... you've been off since you slept with Gideon.” Joker choked on a pepper he stole from the cutting board. He coughed for at least two minutes. You were silent, but beet red. She knew you had sex, but to her it had been a one night stand in her bed. Joker still didn't know about that one.

“Who I sleep with is my business, not yours.” You put the pepper into the skillet and turn down the heat, the steaks for tonight and the morning would be done in a few minutes. You turn your attention to your baking potatoes, they weren't quite ready, but they would be with the peppers and onions.

“It becomes my business when you slept with him in my bed and when it affects the team.” Ilona just wasn't going to let this go, persistent bitch. Joker nearly drops the beer he took from the fridge.

“Thank you, for letting the guy I've been putting off know every detail about my one night with Gideon. Do you want to tell him what color my panties were?” You were getting angry now, she had no right to tell anyone anything. She knew yeah, she was the master interrogator yeah, but you would be her boss when dad died eventually.

“You weren't wearing any.” Her answer was clear and monotone in her accent, but you couldn't help but laugh on the inside. She had done it just for Joker's reaction. He dropped the bottle of beer, thankfully he was holding it over the sink because of foam. His face was a strange mix of humor, regret and horniness. You couldn't tell which one was dominant.

Joker was just able to compose himself when the door opened. Gideon walked in with a bottle of wine. He was dressed in his uniform pants and an army green t-shirt. He wraps his arms around your waist after he puts the bottle down. He nuzzles your neck and kisses it softly as the door closes behind him. His voice was a low growl, not hostile, but asserting his claim, “So what if I had more than a one night stand with her?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading :). As always I love feedback


	10. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon lets the cat out of the bag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The characters in this fan fiction are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games

-Gideon's POV-

He knew there was some one in there with her, probably Joker. He didn't expect Ilona to be there with him. He didn't know what came over him, but judging from the shattered bottle in the sink Ilona had probably shared very intimate details. Oh well, they had to find out some time and any method of telling them would be entertaining.

Gideon maintained his positioning, watching her cook. He could see their expressions of utter shock in the glass of the cabinets. They couldn't believe what they were seeing, the hard ass captain being romantic. Holding the woman he trained himself when no one would. Gideon smiled as he kept nibbling on her neck. He could feel her start to flush, from a mixture of embarrassment and arousal. He smiled and laughed at Jokers face. He had never been serious about pursing her, but he had hoped for a one night stand, every man on base did. But she was his, and he hers.

“Sweetheart, I need to bend over, the potatoes are still in the oven.” He could feel her voice, she wasn't upset. She had probably been, but now she was on the verge of laughter. She had insisted on a theatric reveal. He had tried his best to make it so, theater was about improvisation she had said. It worked.

 

-Your POV-

 _So much for the big reveal_. Still, you enjoyed the stunned look on their faces and Gideon laughing into your neck. Still if he didn't let you go the potatoes were going to burn, and it wouldn't be a complete dinner. Ordinarily you would have just bent over, but there were very stunned, embarrassed friends of yours watching.

You shiver slightly as Gideon nips your ear once more and lets you go, turning to face Ilona and Joker. You look over as you pull the potatoes out of the oven, Joker is smiling like and idiot and you think you see a green tint to her skin, but you aren't sure. “What's wrong Ilona, didn't you see this coming?”

Gideon sounded half surprised, but more disappointed. He had said something about Ilona telling him not to wait to fix things. You didn't think she had intended romance from it though. She had just wanted all of you to stay friends. You had sex, to her that just meant things were better, you couldn't help but laugh at her sheepish smile. The two of you had slipped through the master interrogators fingers until YOU had wanted to tell.

“I sure as hell didn't, boss.” Joker was laughing and took a beer from the fridge and handed it to Gideon who took and opened it. You push him out of your way gently and bend over, making a spectacle out of your rear as you take topping for the potatoes out of the fridge. Typical Joker, always trying to get on Gideon's good side.

“Of course you backwoods hillbilly ass didn't, I doubt you've ever seen a real a romance.” Gideon and Joker were going back and forth now, which probably meant they would be staying for dinner. You straighten and put the cheese and sour cream down on the counter. You pull four plates from the cabinet and put a potato on each of them, glad you made extra.

“I assume that you'll be staying for dinner.” You say, shooting a glance at Gideon to gauge his reaction. He smiles at the idea, he probably wants to show off. He rarely did, but when he did you didn't mind. He was very tasteful in the manner he showed off. Having them over wouldn't really affect your plans, you just had to make sure they left at a decent hour. You had other plans for Gideon later.

You were glad he walked in when he did. Having him there made things so much easier. You put a steak on each plate, if they were going to protest they wouldn't now. You continue dressing the potatoes with cheese and sour cream. The last thing is the asparagus, the peppers with the steak would be for the morning. You take the plated food to the table two at a time and put out two more forks and knives. Ilona still hasn't said a word, but Joker and Gideon have been going back and forth. Joker and Gideon sit down, but Ilona still stands there awkwardly.

“Is something wrong Ilona?” You ask her this time, genuinely concerned. She was stiff sometimes yeah, but never outright cold, at least not around you.

“There have to be rules against this, you're still active.” He voice is stiff, and... sad. _Did she fall in love with Gideon too?_

“Actually, the only rule expressly stated is no child bearing. Besides, with my brother gone I'm the only Irons heir. Do you really think dad is going to send me out on a mission?” You respond, quietly, but confidently. It didn't matter if she wanted Gideon he was yours. You didn't feel threatened, it was more like she was afraid of losing a friend. Gideon was her Captain, her friend.

“No, still though... does Irons know?” Ilona sat down and looked down at her food. She was only concerned about those who became her family, you became sure of that.

“He knows Ilona, he isn't happy about it, but he knows.” Gideon responded quietly, he could feel her concern. The air became heavy. Ilona picked up her fork and knife and cut in to the steak in silence.

The awkward silence went for what felt like hours until Joker spoke, “How long have you been cheating on me princess?” The entire table burst out in laughter and you put your ring back on your left hand.

“Eight month's give or take, we've been engaged for two.” You say as you get up and open the wine. You pour three glasses, Joker looks content with his beer, and despite her laughter Ilona still looked sour.

“Ilona, don't worry about anything. Dad doesn't treat Gideon any differently than he normally would. The team is still the team, you'll just have me on the other end of the comm. Besides, you'll warm up to the rookie, he's got a good head and a good heart.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the space between posts. My godfather unexpectedly passed away, it makes it difficult to write.


	11. The morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon puts any doubts you may have had after last night to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I know it's been a while... but my life got real F***** real quick. The last three months have been an emotional hell. But here's a little filler chapter. I'll try and update more often but I'm really busy with finals and such. Sorry about that. Enjoy.

 

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon wakes up to his princess curled into a ball into his chest. She looked beautiful, so sweetly innocent while she's asleep he thought. She looked like an angel, but fought like a demon. He settles down lower into the bed and tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear. She stirs and turns onto her back, the blankets wrapped around her hiding he body from view. But he knows that underneath she isn't wearing anything, Gideon smiles as he pulls himself close to his princess.

He peppers kisses on every piece of exposed flesh he can. He starts at her lips and works his way over and down the side of her neck to her collar bone. She doesn't stir, but he knows that she's awake. His hand slides down over her throat and underneath the blanket. His hand slides down the center of her body, grazing her breasts ever so lightly. She makes a noise as he goes even lower. He grazes her navel and rests his hand just above her crotch. She sighs and turns toward him trying to move his hand lower.

Gideon chuckles softly and pulls her close to his chest, his hand resting on her ass. He leans in close so their lips are barely touching, “I love you, no one is ever going to change that. Not your father, not the team, it's just you and me. Nothing else will ever matter.”

 

-Your POV-

You couldn't help but smile at his words. He knows just how to make you smile. He loves you and you know it. That was only proven by the fact that he knew your doubts and laid them to rest before you ever told him. He also knows how to tease you. The lack of contact was driving you crazy, but knowing him he wasn't going to give you any satisfaction until you open your eyes. Simply having his hand on your rear wasn't doing anything for you.

You complete contact and open your eyes, he gives a small groan as he squeezes and you pull him closer to you. “I love you too,” you say between kisses. You feel his cock twitch against your thigh, it was your turn to tease him. You smile and sit up, your legs over the side of the bed, you [h/c] hair sweeping him in the face as you do so. You untangle yourself from the sheets and stand up, pulling on your robe, the short one that always gets him going. The soft material only comes to half way down your thighs. You hear him groan as you leave the bed.

“I thought you did.” His eyes are glued to your ass.

“I do love you, I just want breakfast.” You bend over to put your slippers on. You feel the robe come up exposing most of you. Behind you Gideon gets out of bed and comes up behind you placing his hand on the small of your back.

“What if I cook?” He swats you unexpectedly, making you jump. You catch yourself on the coffee table on your left. You're on your knees and he comes around in front of you. He looks down at you his blue eyes a storm of lust.

“You know how much I love it when you cook.” You say as you wrap your hand around the base of his cock. He lets out a soft moan as you wrap your lips around the tip of him and suck gently. You run your hand along his length as you suck. His hand wraps itself in your hair tightly as his hips roll forward. You allow him to push his length to the back your throat and you moan softly. His grip tightens in your hair.

His voice is dark, husky, “Don't let me have all the fun.” You moan again as he pushes to the back or your throat. He lets out a groan and you slide your hand between your folds. The taste and the smell of him makes you wetter than anything else, except maybe his reading poetry to you. You tease yourself gently and moan around him again. You feel him start to twitch and he pulls your mouth off of him.

He pulls you up and carries you back to you bed. He drops you and undoes the belt on your robe. He parts your legs with his knees. He takes your [l/r] hand into his mouth and sucks on your fingers. He slides you into smoothly as you let out a loud moan. “Good girl.” He quickens his pace and you clench around him. His breath becomes faster, heavier.

“That's right, arghn, good girl.” You wrap your legs around him and pull him in as close as you can. You hold him tightly as you come around him. He grunts your name as he comes inside you. You spend a few moments just laying there, kissing. Eventually he roles off of you and pulls you close. His phone rings and he curses. “I have to go love, duty calls.” He kisses you one more time and gets dressed as you fall back to sleep.

 


	12. Proving Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is post "Traffic", ending cut scene and the celebration that leads into "Fission" That being said, most of the chapter is the cut scenes, however there is important character/relationship development with Gideon. Gideon's POV only.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This original Fan Fiction uses characters that are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games.

-Gideon's POV-

“Don't know, don't care. That's up to the boffins back at HQ. You get you money's worth Ajani?”

Ajani nodded, “You delivered exactly as promised.”

“Drinks on me tonight.” Gideon says. He grabs Mitchell's rifle and hands it to him, “You did all right Mitchell.”

Gideon pulled the technologist up onto his back. He should have made Mitchell carry him, but he was already about to black out again. They should have put him a pool back at Camp David, the prosthetic was denser than flesh, which meant swimming was a problem. Gideon went back in for him. Although not having the arm allowed for Mitchell to hold his breath longer 50 feet straight down was nothing to underestimate. The rookie would have probably drowned.

“Let's get moving.” Gideon stands fully, carrying the technologist to the waiting truck. He just wanted to go home. [Y/N] was still in Paris negotiating some deal for Atlas. She had told him it was so the governments would become used to dealing with her. Irons was nearly seventy and although in fine health wouldn't last forever. He knew that she was still trying to earn her father's favor still. Johnathan Irons loved his daughter, but Will had been his pride and joy. When Will went into the marines it destroyed his confidence as a father, but not, it seemed, as a leader.

Gideon put the man into the back seat and climbed into the front passenger seat. Usually he wouldn't let Joker drive, but he was coming off adrenaline from bus surfing. Princess was going to have his ass when she heard about that stunt. It wasn't anything he wouldn't have done with her there, but she was still a bit nervous when he went out. She wasn't there to watch his back, Gideon didn't particularly like training a rookie either, but Mitchell was a damn good soldier.

Joker got into the driver's seat and looked at Gideon, “Where to, Boss?”

All Gideon said was “Home.” He couldn't think of anything else. He wanted to go home and shower with his princess, have a few beers and go to bed. She wouldn't be back for days though, he would just have to settle for a shower and testing the rookie. Sure Mitchell could hold his own in the field, but could he hold his liquor?

 

-Later, (Cut Scene. Time unspecified)-

Gideon watched the footage silently in wonder. The exo's had body cams yeah, but this footage was unbelievable. It all happened but there was no way this could all be body footage. The wonders of CGI. Joker distracted him form his reverie with laughter and the sound of his name being called, “God dammit, Gideon - I didn't know you were a movie star.”

Ah, Gideon had forgotten how easily impressed Joker was, “Easy now - I know it's probably the first time your backwoods, hillbilly-ass has seen someone with a full set of teeth, but don't get carried away.”

Coming from West Virginia Joker had gotten used to Gideon's playful jabs, he didn't even blink, “Well that's funny, because that's what your mom...Holy.... Did you see that shit?”

Gideon shakes his head slightly as Joker tosses Mitchell a beer. He expected Joker to to continue, but it was Mitchell that spoke, “Not bad, right?”

Gideon had a slight sick feeling in his stomach and it wasn't from the alcohol, “You got lucky - the KVA's getting better everyday.” The hard drive that Princess stole contained a partial training regimen, and some basic tactics. The KVA knew what they were doing.

“Whatever happened to that guy we pulled out of the drink anyway, huh?” Mitchell took a sip of his beer.

“Irons took that one on - fine by me.” He didn't usually bother with the debrief of the hostages, this one was no different. There was no need for them to get bogged down before the next mission with details that didn't really matter to them. Irons would debrief and take the appropriate steps. If that meant passing along information then so be it.

Joker was still going on about their bus ride, “Bad ass, man. Fucking bad ass.” Gideon was about to say something when the door opened. There was a dark figure in the door, while he couldn't see the face Gideon was sure that it was Irons. The silhouette screamed power from the stance with the vest that Irons seemed to favor as of late. Early spring was mild this year, though one did need some protection, hence the vest. Though Gideon never understood how that would help. If anything his arms were cold and his chest was warm.

Mitchell and Joker both had concerned expressions. Gideon stood up and opened the blinds.

Irons spoke as he took a step forward into the room, “As you were son. As you were.”

The two of them obviously had never had a menacing Irons in their doorway. It was something Gideon had become used to of late. It seems as if being the fiancee of his daughter meant you were subject to random inspections, so much for not being treated differently. Still though, Gideon had never had one of these “fatherly” visits with others in the room, not even Princess. “Was there something we could help you with, sir?” Gideon asked somewhat nervous. The dark demeanor in the door way was never a good omen.

Instead of launching into some menacing speech, or simply sitting and staring he pulls the '12 bourbon off the shelf. His demeanor instantly changes into a warmer, friendlier, truly fatherly, body language and tone of voice, “Well, a glass would be a start.” Gideon instantly relaxed, for the moment he held on to the small hope that he had come to think of Gideon as a son, rather than the man who was stealing his last child.

“I'll do you one better. Gather 'round, gents.” He says as they all turn their chairs the right way to the table. As comfortable as straddling the chair was it was never an appropriate stance in front of your commander. He pulls four shot glasses off the smaller shelf behind him and sets them on the table. He watches as his future father in law poured a glass for each man.

Irons became serious once again, but not less kind, “There's an old military saying, 'You treat your men like you would your own beloved sons, and they'll follow you into the deepest valley '. I lost my son, and it taught me the importance of seizing the moment...of saying what needs to be said when you have the chance. You gentlemen did a hell of a job out there. Lagos has opened up fantastic opportunities for Atlas - and for that, I'm grateful.” They watch him raise a glass in a toast, the rest of them follow. “To you, gentlemen.”

Gideon and the others followed the toast. Joker descended into a fit of coughing. Apparently 43 year old bourbon was not for the faint of heart, or country boys. Through the coughing Joker managed to speak, “Damn Gideon, where did you get this stuff?” Everyone started laughing as Joker held out his glass for Irons to top off.

“You remember the job in Korea?” Gideon asked and Joker nodded as he began to breathe normally, “Well, seems the principal was extremely grateful that I took that bullet for him. This was hand delivered when I got back with a hand written letter.”

“And I thought Koreans were all about Saké." Joker laughed as he sipped his glass carefully.

Mitchell laughed as Joker put his glass down, “That's Japanese. It's rice wine, isn't it?”

Irons nodded, “Korean is Makkoli. And before you ask, no they don't taste the same.”

“In any case,” Gideon said, trying to spare the room the awkwardness, “He had to pull quite a few strings to have this waiting with the letter when I got back.”

Irons smiled for the first time in a very long while, since Will left for the marines. “I hope you weren't saving this.”

Gideon looked briefly sad, “I was going to open it that day, when I proposed to [y/n], but it didn't feel right. I wasn't going to propose after I found out about Will, but she found the ring.”

Irons poured another round for the table, he raised his glass again, but this time lower. His eyes were an odd combination of sadness and joy. “I lost my son that day, but I also found another. Gideon, you were, are the second son I could never have. From the moment I first caught you training [y/n] I thought of the three of you as siblings. God knows you acted like it. I was never prouder of the two of you then at the moment she kicked Jackson out of the ring, with no exo. My blind little angel became a demon to her enemies, because of you. The idea of you two getting married took some getting used to, but, in the end, I wouldn't give my baby girl to anyone else. To Gideon Irons.”

They toast Gideon and Joker pats him on the back. Gideon just smiles, speechless for the first time in forever. Joker breaks the silence, “So, boss. You think you could talk to daddy about a raise for us?”

Irons starts laughing, “He doesn't get to call me dad yet.” The commercial starts playing again and irons turns to watch it, “You did a hell of a job.” A different shot of Gideon shooting down the helicopter while riding the bus roof plays. “He may never get to if [y/n] sees this.” Everyone starts laughing again, but Gideon most of all. They don't know the half of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry its been taking so long to update. Finals just ended and now I'm Belle in a local Beauty and the Beast production. I'll update as often as I can. It just takes a while to sit and write the chapters. Feedback is always appreciated, it helps make a better writer out of me. I also hate sugar. ;)


	13. The Calm...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are in Paris, negotiating a deal for Atlas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my longest chapter yet, given that it is mostly original content, except for character mentions. This is reader only, you're still in Paris. It's in a character Development stage, but we'll get back to the action soon.

-Your POV-

You sigh irritably, this deal was taking forever to close. These french business men were overly cautious, with reason of course. The Louvre recently acquired several lost Van Goghs as well as newly donated Arman pieces. All very pricey if lost or damaged. It made sense that they wanted the best security, and Atlas was the best. Still, that didn't stop other security companies from trying to take the contract. Invid Corp was the worst though. They were so determined to take this contract from you. They had less technology, 6 generations behind Atlas, but still that was 8 years ahead of the rest of the world. Though their price tag was much more appealing to the French.

The company did have more experience with art, to be sure. Truth be told this was your baby. You had loved art even when you were little and couldn't see. Music had started it, but when will told you about paintings and pictures so real you felt as if you were there you wanted to see them, maybe touch them. You smile sadly at the memory. Will had chuckled and patted you 7 year old head, you could hear his voice even now. “You can't touch them.” He didn't say it mean, but he didn't realize that if you couldn't touch it, it didn't exist to you. “Tell you what though, Blinkin. Dad has scientists working hard to let you see. When they fix your eyes, we'll go to this big place in Paris. They have all kinds of paintings there.”

You never did get to see The Louvre with Will, but you did watch the movie that name had come from. Will always enjoyed classic comedies, Blinkin was a blind servant, but one of the funniest characters. You waited silently outside of the curator's office. Ultimately the choice would be left to him. Invid's star negotiator, Stanly Bates, was in there, cementing what he thought was a closed deal, but he was wrong. The curator was a very superstitious man, to him every name had a meaning. You only hoped that hat you had in mind could sway him. Like Atlas, the company was named after a mythological god, Atlas, the titan god of astronomy, who holds the world on his shoulders. Invid, coming from Invidia the Roman goddess of envy and wrong doing. In the world you don't play the game, you play the people.

You look into your leather portfolio case one more time. In it was a painting that you mother had made, when she found out she was going to die. It was you standing at an altar, with your father at your side, giving you away, and your mother smiling as she added one last unseen piece to your bouquet. The groom waiting for you was freshly painted in, along with Will among the groomsmen. Dad had given it to you when he had finally come to terms with the fact that you were getting married, when he found out that the Louvre was looking for a security contractor.

Dad was a man of many talents, but you never knew he was a painter. He told you the story behind it. Mom had painted dad giving you away to an empty altar. The painting itself was realist oil painting, exquisitely detailed. When she got sick her last with of her husband was for him to learn to paint. She wanted him to finish it, she wanted the portrait to truly be her daughter's groom. And dad did learn to paint, but he did more than that. He learned how to mimic your mother's hand so well it was as if she knew it would be Gideon, and maybe she did. The colors she used were Gideon's favorites, deep emerald green and silver. You look at Will's eyes and smile. This portrait is how you remembered him, Will the brother, the friend, not William the soldier.

Dad made sure that your entire family would be at your wedding, even those who weren't your blood. Dad painted over the faces of the groomsmen, instead of strangers, Joker, Mitchell and Will stood at Gideon's side. Will was his best man and Ilona was your maid of honor, you had two stranger bridesmaids, but they weren't really. They were grown up versions of your childhood friends, Kirsten and Camille. You had no intention of parting with the painting, but you were curious to see what a professional would think of you mother's work.

You hear the door open and heavy footsteps as the Invid representative walked out of the curator's office. He stops in front of you and looks down at the painting. You put it away quickly and look straight at the short heavy set man in front of you. His lips hold a smirk and his beady eyes are attempting to be seductive, _gross._ The fake British accent wasn't helping him either. “Why so nervous, beautiful?”

“I'm afraid that you'll stain it with those greasy hands of yours.” You say, words full of venom.

“Now, now is that the way you treat you ticket into the most acclaimed art gallery in the world? Especially when all it will cost you is a drink with those pretty legs of yours?”

You stand up, shoulders back, in an aggressive posture, obviously this pervert wasn't going to take a hint, and three sentences of that accent was enough to make you want to vomit.

A secretary comes into the waiting area, “Miss Irons, the curator is waiting for you.”

“[Y/N] Irons. Vice President of Atlas Corporations.” You say almost sweetly as you watch his face fall, he's obviously heard of you, or at least your father. You hold out your hand for him to shake. He takes it reluctantly, and shakes it lightly, your grip however it steel. You hear the secretary walk away and you look him dead in the eye. “Not every girl is desperate to get somewhere, try and remember that, or I'll be the first one to support a sexual harassment accusation.” He nods quickly, his eyes wide and chins moving almost independently. You hold up your left hand, so that the diamonds catch the light. “And check for a ring, because I've got myself an actual brit waiting for me at home.” You let go and he flexes his hand, wincing slightly. “Good day, Mr. Bates.”

He opens his mouth to say something, presumably to ask how you knew his name, but you had already turned and walked into the office with your portfolio by the time he could formulate words. You walk into the curator's office with a satisfied smile on your face. You would have much rather just put him on his ass, but you were in public, and had to be professional. You rub your hands together after taking hand sanitizer from your purse. His hands felt like he had been eating something greasy.

When you walk into the office you see the curator bent over his desk examining a painting. It wasn't any style you were familiar with, although you loved art you weren't a historian. The curator looks up from his magnifying glass, he beckons you over and you go, setting your own painting down on the chair in front of his desk. “Come, my dear, look at this.” He hands you the magnifying glass and you look at the painting. It was simple, but well done. It was a little girl feeding feeding ducks in a pond, with water lilies at the edges. The girl had [color/adj] hair and [adj] skin, you couldn't see her eyes. There was a man in a simple suit watching her, his hair was thinning, but you could make out that it was brown.

“What am I looking at, Mr. Baker?” You ask the curator, T. Baker.

He laughs a hearty laugh, “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tom?”

“I'm sorry. I'm just not used to addressing clients by their first names, but what am I looking for Tom?” You say, semi abashed. He seems overly friendly at times, he acts like an uncle of yours.

“Distinguishing marks, my dear. Something that the pig who just tried to make a move on you couldn't see. Something that tells me you value art, you don't just see it as something to profit off of.”

You look through the magnifying glass at the ducks. There was something familiar about the brush strokes on the wings. Up close the strokes went the wrong way, but when you pulled away, the birds were life like. You move to the little girl and her father. The girl's eyes were nothing more than dots, but they were [e/c]. The father wore no tie, with an open collar shirt, a style that hadn't become popular until 2050. The painting was new, you looked closely at the father again and Tom smiled as your eyes widened. The father had an Atlas logo on his jacket. You looked up to see him smiling as you realized what the scene was.

“Your mother was one of my students, do you remember that day?”

You nod, close to tears. “Mom said she was going to get more feed, not going to paint. I was feeding the ducks. I could hear them I knew where they were. Dad had tried to help me, but I was having a fit that day. Will went to go see a movie with his friends, but I couldn't go. So my parents took me to the park. I never knew she painted this.”

“Your mother was the best painter I ever taught, and trust me, I've see four life times worth of painters. Some were hard to teach, but worked, others, like your mother, they were gifted. Your mother had eyes that saw everything. This was her master piece, she gave it to me the day I took this job, she said that maybe I could find a place that needed filled.”

You look at the full painting again, reliving memories of a dark time. The dark was still fresh in your mind, but now you realized. The dark isn't so bad, not when you're with people who love you. “She never stopped painting, I remember mom painting my hands when I was little. It was what made art first real to me. I remember, not to long ago asking her what she was painting, before she died. All she told me was that it was her masterpiece.”

“Really now? What could replace here favorite memory of her daughter?” It all made sense now, how friendly he was, it was as if he knew her somehow.

“Something she wouldn't live to see.” You put down the magnifying glass and go to your own bag. You pull out the portrait of your wedding day and clear another space on the observing desk. The brush stroke on the duck wings was also on the white flowers in your hair. The stroke went the wrong was close up, but afar it presented a realism rarely seen anymore.

Tom looks at the painting in awe. “Your wedding...”

“Yes, she had only painted me. Until a month ago the altar was empty, and the groomsmen were all wrong. My brother was missing too.”

“Did you paint this?”

Tears start to roll down your cheeks, “No... mom's dying wish from dad was for him to finish this, for him to paint my future husband. All so I could see this and know she was there."

“This truly is exquisite. In more than the painting itself. The feeling behind it, it's almost tangible.” He runs a gloved hand over your mother's face on the canvas. “It's almost as if she painted with her bitter tears of joy.” He takes off his gloves and calls his assistant, “Deborah, expose.”

The woman who called you in takes the painting of the park out of the office, presumably to maintenance to hang it after the gallery closes. “Now my dear, how much paper work is there to hire Atlas?”

“Not much, but some. Also we have to go over plans and assign personnel. The whole thing shouldn't take more than five weeks to install everything. I was able to bring the price down, but not much. We'll be running this place at cost.” You say, not surprised. For a star negotiator Mr. Bates had an unsettling aura about him.

“You have yourself a contract, Mrs...”

You laugh, wiping away tears, “It's still Irons. Gideon doesn't have a surname.”

“So, I will close for 6 weeks.”

“The week of testing was included in the five weeks, Tom.”

“Non, you miss understand. I want to meet the man in the portrait. The one that your parents are giving you away to. A week in my country estate, a week away from all the work to plan and hold each other.”

“You're too kind, I'll have to see-”

He cuts you off with a laugh, “I will make it part of the conditions of the contract. Uncle Tom insists.”

You laugh and give him a hug, he kisses you on both cheeks, “I'll get dad to pull him off orbital duty.” You kiss his cheek and place the painting back in its case. “I have to call and make arrangements for technical personnel to get here. We'll start next Monday, finish out the weekend.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always comments are appreciated. What do you like, what don't you like. And if someone could grammar nazi that would be awesome. I keep reading and rereading, but I still miss a lot of missing letters and such. The semester is over so updates will become much more frequent.


	14. ...Before...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon has another heart heart with Irons and you get finished up with Paris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The primary characters in this fan fiction are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games.

-Gideon's/ 3rd person POV-

Gideon jogged toward HQ, slightly nervous. It's been a month since Iron's had claimed him as a son. As happy as that made Gideon it was also slightly concerning. Jonathan Irons could make you feel secure one second and pull the rug out from under you in a fraction of a second. With Princess in Paris working on installation there was no one to keep Iron's in check. She had been back once, but they only had 5 minutes together while they were loading motion sensors. Enough time for a kiss and an “I love you.” She'd spent about three hours with her father coordinating supplies and personnel, but she didn't stay long. It was back off to Paris within six hours. Gideon couldn't help but wonder if there was some one else she was hiding from him.

_No, she loves you. Princess was talking about kids before she left._

_**But you don't want kids. You just didn't have the heart to tell her.** _

_No, you do, just not yet. It's not time. You aren't ready to be a dad. Not yet, not with the world the way it is._

_**Do you really think you'll be a good father? You weren't born, you were grown in a glass jar. Series 7; Batch 21; Subject 9.** _

_My name is Gideon Irons, I was born January 12_ _th_ _, 2025. [Y/N] Irons is going to be my wife, she loves me._

_**Can you even have kids? They would have thought ahead, can't have you getting a mark pregnant now. How is she going to take that. You can't have kids, but that's OK because you never wanted any. You WILL break her heart, and when you do daddy won't protect you anymore. They'll find you, send you back to London, then South Africa where you'll be burned with the rest of Series 7.** _

_SHUT IT!_ _ MY _ _family won't turn it's back on me, and I won't turn my back on them. I won't hurt the woman who loves me, we'll have a family, just not yet. Not until we take down the KVA._

_**Strong talk for a science experiment. Such the classic; The Princess and the Science Project. You're worthless, she doesn't love you. The only reason she said yes to you was because she had to let of some steam. Would you have fucked her if she said no? No, you wouldn't have, you would have walked out of there, leaving her alone, feeling like the piece of shit you are. Those six months before meant nothing. It was nothing but pity, you know that, you've always known that.** _

_I love her, and she loves me. We're happy, Joker and Ilona and Mitchell, we're a family. Families protect each other._

_**Until a line is drawn and crossed. There are only two people who know even half of what was done. Do you really expect them to protect a liar? Sooner or later Dad WILL find out who made you and why.** _

“Gideon, is something wrong?” Jonathan Irons' voice cut through Gideon's internal struggles, he didn't even realize that he had walked into the office. He had half a mind to lie, but the words came back... _**do you really expect them to protect a liar**_... but how could he understand.

“No, sir.” Gideon cleared his throat and Irons gestured to a seat and Gideon sat down.

“Are you sure? You seem tired and... distracted.” Irons' expression was one of deep concern, for the well being of his son in law.

“I haven't really seen [Y/N] in two and a half months. I miss my fiancee.”

“I'm sure that's part of it, but I think there's more to it. You look worried, about more that her. You have the look of a man who is worried about his future.” The two of them made eye contact, Irons staring into Gideon's soul.

Gideon takes a deep breath, if he can't trust his new father who can he trust. “Princess brought up the possibility of kids. It just got me thinking about my past. How can I be a father, I was never even a child. And how could they be, with the world as fucked up as it is.”

“Your past is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about Gideon. I know you haven't been entirely truthful with me about everything that happened. Until now I respected that, but now you're going to marry my daughter. I need to know everything, every detail. I need to know that you weren't programmed.” His expression hadn't changed, but his body language did. He was agitated, borderline aggressive.

Gideon let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and slumped down in the chair as memories flooded him. The truth was he hadn't slept well since Princess left. When he was with her the nightmares were a distant memory, but with her gone they came back with a vengeance. In more than one he was forced to kill Irons, Mitchell, and on the rare horrifying occasion her. Then they would laugh as the forced him into her still warm body.

“Take your time Gideon. I know this isn't easy, ordinarily I wouldn't ask this of you, but I need her to be safe.” Irons got up and poured two glasses of whiskey, one for for himself and one for Gideon. He sat down next to Gideon in the other chair in front of his desk, making a mental note to get higher chairs. He offered the glass to Gideon, who took it, obviously deep in thought.

“It was mostly combat when I was younger, knives, swords, staves, fists. Starting when we were three with fist fighting. When we were eight and could take the kick we started in with firearms. My brothers and I were always taught that we wouldn't be remembered, that outside we were nothing, we didn't exist. Our purpose was to do what politicians would never allow, but needed to be done. We were told that we were special, we were the heroes in the shadows.” He downs the whiskey in one gulp and sinks further into the chair. “Of course in reality I didn't have a family. Everything about duty and honor and protecting each other, it was all a lie. It was every subject for himself. I had no family, no one who cared about me.” His glass moved to his face, underlining the numbers on his cheek. “Zero-seven-twenty one- nine. We didn't have a name, we were soldiers with a number, engineered to be superior. Series 7 was a new set of DNA donors, batch 21 refers to manipulation of chromosomes one through twenty-one, I was subject 9. Just a number to be ordered around.”

Irons gets back up and grabs the crystal decanter from the tray. Gideon had a lot more to say and he was already on the verge of tears. Irons refilled Gideon's glass and sat down again allowing him more time to collect his thoughts while Irons absorbed what he had just been told. How many hundreds were failures? Was all Irons could think about, well that was a lie. He did wonder that, but Gideon sat before him now, one of the strongest me he knew, quite possibly his best contractor, looking like a puppy afraid to lose his home.

“Of course, the training wasn't easy or kind. I was put on my ass more times than I remember. But the beatings didn't really start until I was twelve. We were beaten within an inch of our lives and then another mile. I don't know how I survived, I didn't a few times, they had to bring me back when they hit just a touch too high.” Gideon started tracing over the tips of his nails with his thumb. “It was all so we could take a bullet and barely flinch, and resist interrogation. After that when we were sixteen we were taught how to interrogate, without really laying a hand on the captive. We got into their heads, made them think we had their families, or other unspeakable things. Subject 8 had been rather fond of raping their wives, or husbands, or even their children for them to see. He didn't make it to the final phase of training, he was too violent. Along with interrogation was seduction. I was their star pupil, I learned everything and I got into their heads. ” Gideon takes another gulp of whiskey and looks into his hands. He should slow down on the alcohol, he knew, it was a lot stronger that most and he could feel the warmth spreading.

“Seduction?” Irons asked, reasonably concerned. Gideon knew what he was thinking, the he only wanted [y/n] to get to the head of Atlas.

“Yes, sir. Often the easiest way of getting intel was to get into their pants. It wasn't like that with Princess though, the key to seduction was calm, cool, and collected. Around her I... well, I felt like a fool. When I was teaching her how to fight, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when she put me down. Falling in love and wanting something genuine and seduction are two very different things. When I was eighteen, they thought that they had their first success. They took me to a branch facility in London to show me off to the defense minister. The South African governments had already black listed the project, but England picked it up. I learned what they wanted early on though, I was supposed to be their puppet, the weapon that made England the mightiest empire again. Instead I made the guards my puppets. I made them think I was normal, that I didn't heal nearly instantly or that I was any stronger than they were.”

Gideon finishes off the whiskey in his glass and pours himself more, smiling to himself. Irons had rarely seen Gideon smile and had he been on the receiving end it would be disconcerting. “I failed the minister's test, and it was enough for the series to be scrapped, there were too many failures. They were taking us to disposal, they didn't care anything for us. They laughed at the screams as they burned the subjects alive. When it came to me though, the guards had gotten lazy. Even they could pass the test the minister gave me. I gave them the slip and escaped. I was able to evade them on the streets of London for three years. In that time I did quite my fair share of crime, just trying to survive. The gang I was running with, they were the ones who named me Gideon. You were a random mark I chose because you looked like a challenge, and I wanted this” He makes a gesture to the Union Jack on his neck.

He finished the whiskey in his glass again, trying to hold himself together. He may have told the whole story, but his mind was still stuck on the beatings, and the doctor. Gideon braced himself for questions that he knew would come.

Irons sipped his slowly, trying to think of were to begin, it hadn't taken them long to track the chip in Irons' wallet, they had caught him in front of a shady tattoo place. He hadn't had the flag then. Irons still remembered the day Gideon had gotten it. It had been celebratory, when he got back from his first mission with Atlas.

Dwelling on painful memories is not something he wanted Gideon to do, but dwell he did. They had beaten him to train him, Irons didn't want to think what they did as punishment. “What did they do when you disobeyed an order?” The words left his mouth before he could choke them back.

Gideon put down his glass and straightened, rubbing his temples. “Waterboarding, mostly. If it was your first offense you ran drills for 72 hours straight. If you struck a guard outside of a sim or a doctor you were stripped down and chained in the mess hall. The doctor or guard to struck was given an Urumi, a type of bladed whip sword. It had five tendrils on it, they were sharp enough to enter, but dull enough to tear on their way out. We were beaten with that until the guard got tired, and then if it wasn't long enough, some one else took over. Yes, I was chained up more than once, but the guard I kept pissing off didn't like the sword. It was too detached. He preferred his fists and knives.”

“But you heal almost instantly, how could that...” Irons didn't finish his sentence, he didn't know how to.

“ Flesh wounds heal almost instantly, bullets take a week depending on where they are. There are also drugs that slow it down, mostly he just used drugs that sensitized me. The cuts may have healed, but the pain built with every touch. I never screamed or cried though, I never gave him the satisfaction.” Gideon's hands moved to his waist, above his left kidney. “He gave me most of these scars.”

“Have you told [y/n] this?” What he said the day he came home after Will suddenly came back to him. ' _That's adorable, the science experiment and the princess. I loved that story. Have you even told her? Does she even know you weren't born?'_

“Not all of it. I just... I don't want her to think that I'm a monster. I've spent all my years with you trying to make up for it, saving as many people as I can.” Gideon put his head in his hands, wiping tears away from his eyes. “I told her I was born in a lab, a super soldier experiment. A scrubbed project that they disposed of, but I wasn't a failure and that I escaped. I didn't detail the training or the punishment. She would be one to spend time and resources tracking down the guard that gave me these.” He traces his fingers over a scar through his shirt, a slash that goes from his left shoulder to the center of his chest. “This one almost killed me, his hand “slipped” and the knife went deeper than it should have. She wouldn't let that one go.”

Irons laughs softly, “No she wouldn't. At one point before Will's funeral she asked me to let her topple North Korea's government, for making the U.S deploy William.”

“I still have nightmares about that day. I saw Will when we were escorting the principal. I can't help but think, if I had broken off, given Joker command and gone with them I could have saved Will. That night when I proposed to [y/n] I was going to tell her I saw Will, that he was one hell of a soldier. I wanted to tell her that he sent his best, but...” Gideon can't hold back the tears anymore, his voice is clear, but heavy with emotion. “I'm just one giant fuck up. I had so many chances to save the people who matter to me. If I hadn't been so hard on Will when he was a teenager he wouldn't have left.”

“You can't blame yourself Gideon. Sometimes we simply have no control, no power. Control is an illusion when you're powerless. And we're all powerless against fate, but destiny, destiny we control if we have the power. It was only because you were hard on Will that he survived as long as he did. You were the one thing that gave him a chance. The ones to blames are North Korea and the United States. They took my son from me, and you your brother. I've lost one son Gideon, I won't lose another to doubt. [Y/N] loves you. When she was here coordinating personnel she brought the contract with the French. Atlas is officially the security force behind the Louvre. In the terms of the contract, Section 23, clause 8, sub-clause 3, it is stated that, “The daughter and future son of The Provider,” he puts a hand to his chest indicating himself, “ are to spend one (1) week with the Curator at his country residence, from the 18th of April, 2055 to the 25th of April 2055.”

“Was there anything else in that contract?” Gideon gave small chuckle. _You were just being stupid, she loves you._

“In sub-clause 2 it says that the children of The Provider are to refer to the Curator as Uncle Tom at all casual times.” They both start to laugh. “So, Gideon, I am bound by contract to give you a week of leave in France. Go start packing, tell Mitchell and Joker too.” Gideon looks at the calendar on the Irons' desk, April 10th, he give Irons a curious look. “The install team is finishing up today. Testing starts tomorrow, I need my best to make sure it's fortified. [Y/N] will be your fourth, she has all the plans, but there will be copies on the plane for you to familiarize yourselves with, along with a manifest.”

 

-Your POV-

 _Cheeky bastard, he did put that in the contract._ You laugh as you read through the contract again, with your father's notes on it. He signed it, without revision, which was odd. Although, he only agreed to run at cost because they were adding on another wing and, well, you wanted your mother's name on it. The Laura Irons realism wing, and it would have her painting of the duck pond as the center piece. Which was in the terms of the contract, Section 23, clause 7, sub-clause 1.

“Café?” Tom walked in and put an espresso on your desk.

“Merci.” You knew some french, but you had picked up more. It was a very good thing 90 percent of Europe spoke English. “You're a cheeky bastard, you know that, right?”

“I have no clue what you're talking about, I'm simply a man of my word. I told you that I would put that in the contract. Your father signed it, I see no issue.” He took a sip of his own coffee, pulling it away quickly after burning his tongue. “You had your personal conditions, I had mine. What color do you prefer, blue or red? My wife is preparing the guest suite.

“Dark or light?” You ask, thinking. Light colors really weren't your thing, or Gideon's. They were too cheerful for your pasts. Which was funny, one would think you favored bright colors after being in the dark for fifteen years. You preferred the depth of dark colors, there seemed to be more relatable feelings behind them.

“Dark red and light blue; like the sky or a fine wine.” He said after a few moments. He thought of wine, while you thought of blood. It's uncanny how much a few years and experiences make when comparing colors to other things.

“Red. I do have one request with the room though.” You say carefully, not wanting to offend him. You weren't sure about being a house guest in France, and ordinarily you wouldn't make a request but...

“What would that be?” He gave you an odd look.

“No lit candles. I haven't seen Gideon in two and a half months.” He gives you an odd look again, this time questioning why you wouldn't want something romantic. “I can't guarantee we'll make it to the bed and the last thing I want it to knock over a lit candle.”

Tom starts laughing, a small chuckle at first, but soon it becomes an outright belly laugh. “Point taken. I'll tell Amanda, but you're still getting rose petals. No arguments, or substitutions.”

You hold up your hands in defeat. “Uncle Tom, you drive a hard bargain.”

“A trait I picked up from your mother. She was quite the remarkable woman, as are you. If I were forty years younger and unmarried, Gideon would have quite the competition from me. He's a lucky man.”

“I'm the one who's lucky. After my mom died, dad and Will weren't really around much. Not to say they weren't a good family. It's just, mom was always there describing things to me, reading me stories. When she was gone it just felt like I didn't really matter to anyone anymore. I wanted to make a difference to somebody, but no one would teach me how to fight, except Gideon. I was 14 and blind. He refused at first, but he was my last hope, I was persistent even though he said no. I didn't mind that he said no, I just liked the sound of his voice. Eventually he did say yes and even though I was blind I could fight better than nearly everyone at Atlas, I could feel things coming. Gideon took the lonely angsty teen that I was and turned me into a woman that my family could be proud of.”

“So maybe he wouldn't have competition from me.” He smiled as he took a sip from his now cool coffee. “So when will he be here?”

“He should be here in three days, to give me a hand with fine tuning the system.”

“You said the installation was going to be done today.”

“There's still some calibration to do, so we'll say Wednesday for that. Tell Amanda she has a few days to figure out a replacement for the candles.” You take a sip of your coffee and immediately wish you had some water, it was like syrup. Sweet and thick... you smile at the thought.

 

-Gideon's POV-

“So boss, why are we going three days ahead of schedule for the testing?” Joker was going through the manifest looking for a target other than the Mona Lisa. Everyone and their brother was after that, and so it would be the first sensor net that was calibrated.

“Yeah, I don't think she would want you breaking into her pet project to be the first time she's seen you in months.” Mitchell said as he sat cleaning his custom Paytech. They were on Irons' private jet, any other Atlas vehicle would have been detected, which would require notification of the area commander, which would lead to [Y/N] knowing about inspection. Gideon sat with a glass of water, going over plans. He could get used to the plush seats and endless flow of what ever he wanted, all with the woman he loved his mind was wandering to far more pleasant places when Mitchell coughed.

“I may be engaged to marry her, but that doesn't mean that I won't do my job. Even if it were someone else we would still be going three days ahead of their schedule. The installation is done and the raw calibrations are too. We just have to see if our crews are on the mark. That being said, with the general security being done, they dialed back on the night watch. It's the perfect time for a heist. Joker,

do you have a target yet?”

“There's a new addition, a girl feeding ducks at a park with her dad.” Joker flipped kept flipping through the pages of the catalog.

“Who's the artist?” Gideon took a highlighter a began tracing a route through the ventilation shafts.

“It doesn't say, wait... there isn't a name, just a symbol.” Joker turned the catalog to Gideon who looked at the symbol. It was a red L inset into a black star. Gideon smiled, he knew that symbol. Laura Irons always hid it somewhere in her paintings. He'd found it odd at first, but the walls of his father in law's office were covered in her paintings. This was one of hers, and odds were, Princess would be there at some point looking at it.

“We've got our target gents. It's not well known, but it is popular.” He points to the 4 star rating. “Now all we have to do is figure out how to bypass the sensor net on the vents and we're in. No mute charges or cutting, we want to leave the building intact.”

“I have an idea about that.” Mitchell sets his Paytech on the table and sits across from Gideon, but we will need a mute charge, more specifically, we need the core.”

“What are you getting at, rookie?” Gideon raised an eyebrow at him.

“Have you ever noticed the change in color when the charge goes off?”

“Yeah... what are you playing at?” This could either be clever or disastrous.

“It changes sound to a low frequency and light along with it. If we can recalibrate to core to the sensor net settings we can pass undetected.”

“Do you have any idea how much power that takes? We have to get out too.”

“We only need 40 seconds to get past the first net.” He grabs a pencil and circles an area of wiring next to the vent. “This is the net core, exactly 5 meters inside the first net. If one of us can get inside we can put it on a loop.”

“What about the cameras? There are no blind spots, and they have time indexes.”

Gideon sits for a second contemplating his plan. He could do his job and get princess all to himself if he played his cards right. “Someone has to stay external, loop the footage and alter the time indexes, which means whoever loops the net is going to have double duty, we have to link the security cameras to the van. Problem is, there's one access shaft and the camera hub is on the other side of the building.”

“Which is why we use this.” Mitchell pulls a set of schematics from his bag. “Atlas R&D. I spend so much time there with my arm that they ask me to take a look at things. These are the schematics for a prototype. If we can find a junction near the sensor net, we can link the data to the van without getting anywhere near the servers.”

“A piece of paper isn't going to do us a whole lot of good bud.” Joker begins tracing the camera wires in pink marker.

“Can you build it? With what an art thief could get?” Gideon was slowly becoming impressed with the rookie.

“With 75 euros and a trip to an electronics store. It won't be as pretty as this, but it'll get the job done.”

“All right, we'll set the timeline. 03:46 for entry, out at 04:11.”

“That's pretty arbitrary, boss.”

“We're art thieves, not military.”

 

-Your POV, 03:40-

You stand in front of the duck pond and sigh. You should be sleeping, but how are you supposed to without Gideon? You're still in a hotel, in a cold, strange bed. In front of this painting, or your wedding was the only place you felt comfortable. _Only five more days. Five days and you'll have Gideon in your arms and other, even more pleasant places._ You smile and sit on the bench in front of the ducks. _If only mom was alive, but if mom was alive you would never have wanted to learn how to fight. Everything happens for a reason_. At least, that's what mom always said. You pull your legs up and kiss your ring. “I love you, Giddy.”

 

-Gideon's POV, 03:43-

“Boss, we've got a problem.” Joker's voice came through the comm. Even though he was the one staying in the van, he still insisted on wearing clown makeup. After they finished planning the heist he pulled a random movie from the shelf and put it in. Now he was trying his best to impersonate the Joker.

“What is it?” Gideon was in the vents with Mitchell in the south wing 7 meters from the target.

“I can't loop the footage.”

Mitchell did his best to stay quiet, despite his anger, “What do you mean you can't? I walked you through my system back on the plane.”

“I mean that I can't. Princess is sitting in front of the painting. If she moves and goes to the security office we're blown. I can't loop it until she moves.”

“I love you, Giddy.”

Mitchell mouthed. “Giddy?” Joker's laughter was deafening in the comm, but not outside, thank you R&D.

Gideon gave Mitchell a dirty look, and said to his comm. “Yes she calls me Giddy. How do you think I knew you were in her room that night? Sorry mate, but I'm taken and I don't swing that way. Mitchell, stay here and get ready to drop down.” Gideon starts to move back towards where they came, hopefully that mats they placed would absorb enough of the echo.

“Where are you going?” Mitchell looked at Gideon.

“I'm going to call my beloved, hopefully I can get her to go outside.” Gideon continues to crawl through the vents. He stops and checks the blueprints. _Jackpot._ He drops down in to a storage closet and pulls out his phone. He powers it on dials her number and waits while it rings.

“She's going for her phone. Whatever it is you're going to talk about, boss, keep her moving.”

“Hey Giddy.”

“I'm sorry, Princess. Did I wake you?” Gideon speaks quietly, sounding every bit as tired as he was.

“No, I haven't really slept in a few weeks. I'm sorry I haven't called. This time difference really sucks. I haven't been getting away until its too late, or you've been out on assignment.”

“I know love, but soon we'll have all the time in the world together.”

“Gideon! Get her to move or we're busted.” Joker's voice began to sound more than a bit concerned, almost panicked really.

“What are you wearing?” The question caught Gideon off guard.

“My boxer briefs.” He knows what she wants to hear.

“And, what else?”

“A blanket.”

“Gideon, don't lie to me.”

“OK, ok fine. I'm not wearing anything.”

“Gideon, I'm in public, don't do that.” He could hear her smile through the phone.

“Why don't you find some place private then. Since I'm not there to touch you, how about I give you something to listen to?”

Mitchell's voice came over the comm, “She's moving, but for the the sake of everyone on the comm don't.”

“You never told me what you were wearing, love.”

“Something... silky, and small.” She elongates small so it sounds more seductive.

“Something, silky and small. Where are you?”

“On my way to a closet. You'd be surprised how nice the closets are in the Louvre.” Even the sound of her voice was doing things to him Gideon groped himself through his pants as he looked around him, the closet was very nice, almost as large as the room he grew up in. Not big, but large enough for what he had planned.

“Hold on love, there's someone at the door.”

“I don't share Giddy, get rid of them. If it's Joker tell him to go fuck himself.”

Gideon holds his phone to his chest and speaks. “Mitchell, proceed as planned. I'm going dark.”

“Boss, no. That's not part of the plan.”

“She already knows, she's supposed to be out inside anyway, and she told me to pass along a message.”

“Yeah, and what's that?”

“She said to tell your backwoods hillbilly-ass to go fuck yourself.” He takes out his comm and hold brings his phone back up. “He's gone love, where are you now?”

“About ten meters from the storage room. Are you ready for me soldier?”

Gideon gave a small grunt as he freed himself from his pants. He stroked himself slowly, moaning softly. “You've got no idea love.”

“Don't start without me now.” He heard her in the hallway, outside giggling.

“I'm sorry, Princess, but I can't help it. I'm a man.”

 

-Your POV-

You couldn't believe you were doing this, going into a storage closet so you could have phone sex with your betrothed. Your heart was racing just thinking about it. You could still hear him moaning softly on the phone. He was at least going slow, to give you time. You turn the knob and the line goes dead, you look down and see that you ended the call. _Shit._ In all these years they still haven't perfected touch screens. You put your phone in your pocket and walk into the storage room. You would call him back after you got ready.

Just as you closed the door a pair of strong hands grabbed you. You tried to scream and fight but his hands cover your mouth and he holds you still. You feel his warm breath next to your ear. “Shh... Princess, relax.”

You relax at once, still surprised that he was here. You had figured he would be part of the inspection team, but he was early. Damn, that meant Mitchell and Joker were probably taking a painting, probably in the wing you were in. Gideon lets you go and you turn around to face him. “If you cut that painting of ducks I WILL castrate all three of you.”

“Don't worry, Princess. I made sure they didn't even pack knives. Now then, where were we?”

In the dim light you can see he's fully clothed, complete with scarf and beanie, covering everything except his eyes. His pants were pushed down too, revealing his cock at full mast and twitching. “I believe,” you say pulling down his mask, “we were about to get sloppy.” He pulls you into a crushing kiss as he lifts your skirt up your legs and over your ass. He pulls his gloves off as he lifts you up and against the wall. You wrap your legs around his waist and he pulls the crotch of your panties aside, slipping two fingers inside you.

You moan, clenching around them immediately. “Fuck me... you're so wet for me Princess. And you've gotten so much tighter.” He slips his tongue into your mouth as he curls his fingers, before pulling out completely. “I think you've gone too long without my cock in you.”

You were about to say something when he thrusts inside you, filling you to the brim. It hurts some, it had been far too long. You dissolve into nothing but ragged moans, desperate to keep from screaming. Gideon was close to coming, you could feel him twitching inside you as his thrusts became unsteady. You feel a scream building in your throat and bite down on his tattooed neck. He buries himself inside you as the bite sends him over the edge.

He pulls out and sets you down, wanting. He kisses you as he tucks himself away and sucks his fingers clean. “That's for nearly botching my heist, Princess.”

You stand up and straighten your skirt, he would pay for that later. “So we'll add rape to the list of charges.” You watch as Gideon puts up his mask and climbs up the shelving back to the vent.

“We'll talk about my plea bargain over dinner tomorrow night.” He winks at you as he climbs up into the vent leaving you alone in the closet. You were going to rip the engineers a new hole to breathe out of tomorrow morning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 5878 words. Should I be sorry for the length? 'Cause I'm not. There just wasn't a whole lot better way to break that up. What do you guys like better though long or short? Comments are always appreciated, they help me get a feel for what I'm doing right or wrong.


	15. ...The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris. Enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games.  
> So, again this is a longer chapter. As you get farther into the game story arch, there is a lot more story to tell with Gideon/Irons/You. So long chapters are gonna be a thing now. Also, I am very sorry for the words that are correct, but off. Missing s's and such, think instead of thing. I got a new word processor and I haven't figured out how to turn off the auto complete yet.

-/Gideon's POV, April 13th, 19:33 local time-

“This is very good, but I will never understand the French fascination with bread.” Gideon laughed as Uncle Tom buttered his fourth roll in twenty minutes. They were having dinner with the Curator and his wife. Princess had left to take a call from her father, leaving Gideon with two complete strangers, and breaking the ice was never an easy objective for him.

“See, there are so many different types. A different type goes with each meal, just as different people prefer different things. I love bread, and I love my darling Amanda. You, you love meat and [Y/N].” He smiles as he takes a bite of his roll.

“Yes, but the one thing we can agree on, is that you have great taste in wine, Gideon.” Amanda sipped at the dark red liquid. She had been cautious about sampling the wine that Gideon brought. Princess had no doubt relayed most of the events of that night, and well, soldiers weren't known for their ability to choose wine or liqueur.

“Working for Jonathan Irons has its advantages.” Gideon smiles as he cut a piece of his venison. It was true, most of what he learned about finer beverages came from being Irons vanguard at parties. He had always brought along nine or ten men. They were expected to mingle with the guests and not raise suspicion. Some one would be assigned to each Irons child in attendance, when they were older they would appear as a date. Joker would always be the first one to volunteer to be Princess' date, Gideon though, was always the one who ended up with the job.

“And it's disadvantages, apparently.” Amanda looked at the doorway as Princess walked back in. The weight of her steps told Gideon that she was upset.

“What's wrong, love?” Gideon took her hand as she sat back down. She had tears in her eyes. She smoothed her purple evening gown and stayed silent, she looked down at her lap. Tom was about to say something but his wife gave him a glare and he immediately closed his mouth. “Princess, what is it?”

 

-Your POV-

You couldn't believe this was happening, everything was perfect. You and Gideon were in Paris for two weeks. This wasn't happening. You could hear Gideon talking, but his voice was hollow and distant. You couldn't really make out what he was saying.

“[Y/N], answer me. What's happened?” Gideon's voice comes through clearly this time. It's stern, you look into his eyes and see the Captain as much as you see your lover. He gave you an order, out of love.

“Daddy has cancer.”

“What kind?” Tom sounds concerned, and a little bit scared.

“Stage II liver.”

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon didn't want believe it, but looking into her tear stained eyes he knew it was true. He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed the pad of her thumb. “Don't worry, love. If they can make a paralyzed girl walk again, they can kill a few cells that won't follow orders.”

“Bates is threatening to sue on top of that.”

“The PIG, on what grounds?” Tom and Amanda both had tears in their eyes. Gideon and Princess had come to know that the Irons and Bakers we good friends when they were studying at Yale together.

“Bribery. He called my dad in the middle of an appointment telling some story about how we...had... relations, in the museum. And that I was bribing you with art from a personal collection. Dad wasn't going to tell me, but I wouldn't let him go without him telling me the whole story.”

“He's an idiot if he thinks that Dad is going to believe him over you.” Gideon kisses her hand again, and gives it a squeeze. He would have to make some calls later, find an assassin for hire, and make sure he was an expert at natural causes. No one was going to hurt his Princess and get away with it.

“There is no evidence. I've had that painting of ducks for over 12 years. Stupid idiot. He's just trying to intimidate you. He wasn't happy when he lost the contract to you, but he couldn't give me a compelling reason to give it to him. When I told him to get out, he told me that I would regret not giving him the contract.”

“What kind of sick fuck does that?” Amanda shook her head and poured [y/n] more wine.

“The kind that doesn't like to lose, especially to a woman half his age. It's not him I'm worried about though. I know that I'm secure in my relationships.” She squeezes Gideon's hand and takes a sip of wine. “I'm just worried about the stress that something like this would put on dad. It doesn't look good that my first contract was challenged on the grounds of bribery. If he doesn't pull through the cancer I have to be able to take the company in good standing.” She puts down her wine glass and crunches on a parsnip crisp.

“Invid is the god of envy and wrong doings. They are never rewarded.” Tom states matter-of-factually as he takes another bite of his dinner roll.

“Don't worry, my love. You've got a family of thousands at your back.” Gideon cups he cheek and kisses her, her soft lips shaping to his own. He wipes away a tear with his thumb. It had been far too long since they had been together and just able to talk.

 

-3rd person-

“I remember when that was us, Mandy.” You hear Uncle Tom say. You pull away from Gideon, the both of you blushing slightly, not from embarrassment.

“Don't fool yourself, Tom. You've proven that you're still quite the romantic.” Amanda kisses her husband lightly. “We just got used to containing it in front of company, and I've seen you every night for the last twenty four years.”

“So true, I can't get rid of you for anything.” He laughs and kisses her hand twice. They continue eating. When they finish Tom's voice becomes harsh, like a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear. He turns to Gideon, “Don't do it, you can still back out. You can still be free.”

“Hmm... see no he can't be. Technically I'm his boss now.” You run a hand down his leg and pat what Tom and Amanda assume is his thigh. You move your hand and Gideon shifts, you smile to him. “You're mine no matter what now.”

“And I wouldn't have it any other way. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me.” Gideon returns the gesture with a squeeze of your thigh.

Tom clears his throat, “I think its time for this old man to go to bed.” He yawns and stretches, “Matilda, honey?”

“Oui, pappi?” His ten-ish grand daughter comes into the dining room, all pig tails and smiles, her long blond hair and sea green eyes as sweet as can be.

“Help Mami with the dished, and get ready for bed. I have a special story for you tonight.” Tom winks at his wife and smiles at his grand daughter, who cocks her head to the side. She wants more information.

“Comment appelle-t-on ceci?” The little girl asks curiously. She obviously wasn't going to comply until her question was answered.

“Practice your English,” Amanda scolds her lightly, “we have guests. Show them how smart you are.”

“What is it... called...” She second guesses herself and adds, “...about.”

“It's called 'Knight of Atlas'. It's about a knight and the Iron princess of Atlas.”

“I don't want another princess story. Mami always tells me princess stories.” The little girl crosses her arms. “I want a war story like daddy tells.”

“This is a different kind of princess darling. The princess fights right along side her knights.”

The little girl looks at her grand parents intrigued. “D'accord Pappi.” She starts gathering dishes from the table. She takes the plates and forks to the kitchen.

“She's quite the negotiator, I may have to keep an eye on her.” You say as she walks away.

Gideon agrees with a smile, “Quick as a whip and cute as a button.”

“She takes after her mother in looks, but she's got her dad's eyes and personality. It makes for an interesting combination, especially when she gets older.”

Amanda takes a smaller glass and emptys the rest of the wine into it. “Matilda, come get the glasses.” The little girl comes back out at takes 3 of the four glasses. When she returns to the fourth Amanda gives her the small glass. Matilda takes a small sip and smiles, “Cabernet. Good choice.”

The girl finishes her small glass and walks back into the kitchen for good. They hear water running and another voice in the kitchen. “My daughter,” Tom explains, “She and Marcus are staying with us. Marcus should be in the cellar if you want to introduce yourselves.”

“Why weren't they at dinner with us?” You ask. It was odd to say the least that the other couple in the house wasn't invited to dinner.

“Marcus just got back from a business trip. He's a war historian, still jet lagged. He's been sleeping in the cellar, it's the only quiet place during the day while he gets back adjusted. He'll be up for breakfast in ten minutes. He's been awake for an hour, he's right on the minute every time.” Tom smiles ask he calls, “Sofie, come, I want you to meet our guests.”

Sofie comes out of the kitchen drying her hands, she is the image of her daughter, except her hair is in a bun and her eyes are brown. “Dad's told me so much about you two. It's great to finally meet you.” She gives each of them a kiss on the cheek.

“I can't say the same. Mostly, Uncle Tom talked about my mother.”

Sofie let out a laugh. “I'm glad, I'm more of a woman who would rather let my actions speak for me. Dad wouldn't stop going on. What peaked Marcus' interest though was you, Gideon. My husband is an art historian, he's curious to hear from you.”

“Tom said he was a war historian.” Gideon looks at her, slightly suspicious.

“The art of war, as Marcus calls it. A single bullet, like a single stroke of a brush, the first stroke, determines what kind of war it is.” Sofie smiled as Matilda came back out of the kitchen, “Go get ready for bed, pumpkin. Pappi will tell you a story in a minute. I have to go finish cleaning.” She kneels down and kisses her daughter on the forehead and turns into the kitchen. Matilda bounces away happily, leaving you and Gideon to talk.

“I can't help but think, if we have have a little girl I want her to be like that.” You move closer to Gideon and plant a soft kiss on his lips.

“I don't want kids.” His voice is soft, you can't help but let the tears well in your eyes. You had been planning a family with Gideon for months and now he says he doesn't want one. You look down and try to step away. _Good job, Gid. The first time in months you've really been with her and now she's crying. She just found out her father has cancer._ “Hey, look at me.” He lifts your chin with his fingers and kisses you. “I didn't mean it like that. I do want to have a family with you, but not now. Not with the KVA a looming threat. I do want to try.”

“What do you mean 'try'?” You look into his eyes, and you can't stop the tears.

“I don't know if I can have kids. They may have sterilized me in the lab if they thought that far ahead. I don't know. I never had tests done because I never thought I'd find someone.” He kisses away the tear that rolls down your cheek.

You wipe your eyes and kiss him briefly. “I'm going to go get a shower. It's been a pretty emotional hour and a half.” _Understatement of the century_. It's been a down right roller coaster ride. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Princess.” Gideon holds onto you for another few seconds and he kisses you again. It's a kiss full of promise. The two of you separate and you head upstairs, cold shower it is.

 

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon thought about going to get a shower with Princess, but Marcus sounded interesting. He would go introduce himself, let princess have some time to clear her head, think things through. He hadn't meant to drop the bomb tonight, but seeing Matilda, he had to tell her, before she started thinking of names. Gideon smiled to himself, the girl truly was adorable and feisty. He adored the thought of a little [hc] girl running around with grey eyes, asking when it was her turn for the range, but that couldn't happen. He wouldn't bring a child into the world as it is.

When Gideon was down the stairs in the cellar, there was no one there. He heard footsteps coming around the corner and assumed it was Marcus. Gideon started walking forward to meet the person behind the steps. The man who greeted him was not a stranger.

 

-Your POV-

You strip down and get into the shower, alone with your thoughts. You wish Gideon was there, to help distract you, but they were his words on your mind.

_...not now... but I do want to try._

_**Of course they would sterilize him. It wouldn't work out well of he got some one pregnant. It would screw the entire secrecy of the project.** _

_That would just be wasted resources on failures though. Why waste the time and the money, it was a simple procedure later in life. Maybe they didn't think that far ahead._

_**Maybe not, but he only said 'not now' after you started to cry. He doesn't want kids. Ever. KVA or no KVA.** _

You turn on the cold water and just stand underneath the jet. The bathroom was much more luxurious than the hotel you had been staying in. The villa was much newer than you though, or it had extensive renovations.

_… I_ _never thought I'd find someone._

You smile, he never thought he'd find someone. If you could change his mind about that then surely you could change his mind about kids. But he was right though, the KVA definitely had to go.

 

-Gideon's POV-

Gideon heard the bottle shatter and drew his knife. “Thirteen.” They made eye contact grey to green behind glass.

“Is everything all right dear?” Sofie shouted down from the kitchen.

“Everything's fine. I just dropped a bottle of '52 Merlot. Just got startled is all.”

“You sure, sweetie.”

“Yeah, everything's fine. I'll be up in a few minutes. I just want to go over some maps with our guest here.”

“Don't cut yourself, Angel.”

“Nine, I see you made it out too. Unfortunately.”

“I could say the same for you.” Gideon points at him with the knife. “Last I checked you were scraped with eight. Too violent for training, yet she calls you Angel. If she only knew. Unlucky thirteen”

“She does know, and my name is Marcus, not thirteen. And I wasn't scraped because I was eight's partner in crime. I was scraped because I started questioning the doctors, unlike you nine. Their golden success.”

“My name is Gideon, and being the golden child didn't save me from what I got for letting you escape. I got three straight weeks of waterboarding and beatings from Sanders and the head doctor. I wasn't allowed to sleep for a month.”

“I'm surprised you aren't dead, but then again you always did prove yourself the most resilient of us. SO what happened? Are you on a mission? Take over Atlas, by getting into the pants of the CEO's daughter?” Marcus starts cleaning up the shards of glass.

“The project was scraped. I'd had enough of the doctors. I made a fool of myself in front of the English Minister of Defense. He cut off the funding.” Gideon puts his knife away and starts helping Marcus clean up the wine. Marcus eyes Gideon suspiciously. “As funny as it is, I owe you my life.”

Marcus pulls over a trash can and grabs a rag. “How's that, I almost got you killed?”

“I only realized the doctor was full of shit after week two of waterboarding. I started planning, but the others were completely programmed. They just walked into the incinerator, no question. I fooled the guards and got out.”

“You're welcome, but that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?” He disappears behind a rack of wine, searching for another bottle. He comes back with two glasses in hand, he opens the bottle and gestures for Gideon to sit. He does.

“After I got out, I was on the streets for a few years in London. I didn't really have any goals in mind except to survive. I may have resisted, but beyond wanting to live I didn't really have any other plans. Except to get this.” He turns his head so Marcus can see the tattoo on his neck.

“Why would you want to get the flag of the country that tried to kill you on your neck?” Marcus sounded more Italian than British. They had only known each other for a few years, but their relationship was complicated. They hated each other, but they couldn't live without each other during those years. Gideon was the one who kept him in line after eight had told him some elaborate scheme, and Marcus kept Gideon's mind free.

“Besides trying to blend in these,” he runs a finger over the numbers, “what better 'fuck you' to the people that tried to kill me than having the flag showing while I work as a mercenary. But I digress, see I was a bit short on cash. Tattoos are expensive and the gang I was running with wasn't exactly wealthy. I pick pocketed Jonathan Irons. The tracking chip in the wallet was the wallet. I was going to go get the tattoo and then pawn off the wallet. I got caught before I could get the tattoo. I wasn't exactly in the best shape. I was thin and my clothes were little more than scraps. I got chased down by Atlas bodyguards and instead of letting them kill me, Irons took back his wallet and bought me dinner. He offered me a job after that, seeing as how I was able to get his wallet in the first place. I went to work for him and I fell in love with his daughter. And now I'm going to marry her. But what about you? I doubt you're just a historian.”

“That you're right about. I did try to put down the guns and knives. Sofie found me beaten half to death, I was drunk and decided it was a good idea to take on the Italian Mafia single handed. I won too, but I would have died if not for her. She found me in an alley bleeding out.” Marcus pours wine and explains. “The Mafia likes to coat their knives in kesnic. It keeps us from healing, but to normal people it's extremely toxic. She was walking home from a lecture on Renaissance art and she found me. She nursed me back to health. I told her that I would be different for her. She got pregnant, I promised her I would focus on being a dad. I did for a while. I went hunting, still do. That venison you ate was my latest kill, a family of 3 doesn't eat much. Matilda's school was attacked though, some crazy demanding that the president of France, the US, and the chancellor of Germany step down. I went and I rescued my daughter, it only took me one bullet from 2 miles. Since then I've been an assassin, but only if I agree with the target. Sofia gave me a morality that I won't ever be able to shake.”

“So Matilda, she is yours.” Gideon asked cautiously

“Of that whole story, you ask about my daughter?” Gideon nods and sips on his wine.

“Yes, she is mine. What would make you ask that?”

“[Y/N], she's been on about kids. We got in a sort of an argument upstairs, because I would think that they would have sterilized us.”

“I thought that too, how do you think I ended up with Matilda? Have you ever thought that she keeps bringing up kids because she's pregnant?”

“No, she's been drinking wine... did you want kids?” Gideon looks at his wine thoughtfully. He and Marcus had never been friends, but given that they were the only two survivors, he liked the prospect of having someone like him to talk to.

“No, I didn't, not in this fucked up world. Then I had one. Gideon, I know it's hard in the dark world, but kids make it brighter. You're the type to fight so you CAN have kids, but what you need to do it fight FOR your kids. Holding that tiny, helpless, girl in my arms for the first time changed me. It made me a protector, not just a predator. As much as she drives me crazy, she keeps me sane.”

Gideon stays silent for a few minutes, his mind blank. Marcus gets up and disappears behind the shelves again, coming back with a bottle of 1927 Port. “You want my friendship?”

Gideon nods again finishing his wine. He makes eye contact with Marcus, “Princess can understand, but she hasn't lived it.”

Marcus sits back down and tips his chair back, casually tossing the bottle to Gideon. “As my friend, you are entitled to my advice, whether you want it or not, so here you are. You take that wine up to your room, get her drunk, and you shag her properly. With any luck, that will nullify any birth control she's been using, and when she wakes up in a few weeks she'll know.”

 

-Your POV-

There's a knock on the door. You put on your robe and answer it. It's been over 45 minutes since Gideon went to the cellar. You expect him, but to your surprise it's Sofie.

“What's up?”

“I'm sorry I got Marcus and Gideon talking. I knew that they would click, I just should have waited.” She smiles apologetically, she's holding something behind her back.

“So what's behind your back?”

“An 'I'm sorry' gift. I didn't know if you packed anything, and well I haven't fit into this since I had Matilda.” She shows you her hands. She's holding black lingerie, a silk bra that would barely cover your nipples with gun metal chain straps and sides, and golden chains attaching it to the underwear, if you could call it that. It has a silk under face, but the rest of it was gun metal chains. She's offering you a chain mail bikini. “I know it's been a while, distance makes it tough. So don't waste your time fighting when you're together. Unless that's your thing.” She gives you a wink.

“I don't think I can... it's not my style.” You shake your head, it looks like it would pinch unpleasant places.

“It might not be yours, but I think it would be your soldier's. Beside, something tells me you won't be wearing it long.” She wasn't wrong. Gideon would be ready and you would be naked in under ten minutes.

“OK, you talked me into it. Just make sure Gideon is here in ten minutes. It's your fault he's down there.” You both laugh as you close the door. You change quickly and strike a pose on the bed.

Less than two minutes later, Gideon walks through the door with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He puts the wine down and loosens his tie, he hasn't seen you behind the curtains. “Princess?” He calls out, you stay quiet.

You hear him pour wine and unzip his pants. “I know your in here somewhere.” He opens the bathroom and you hear him move the shower curtain. You stifle a giggle as he walks to the other side of the room. “Are you here?” He pulls the curtains away in a flurry. “Where are you hiding?” You see his hand hover over the red curtains, but he thinks twice and checks under the foot of the bed. You can't hold back anymore and the giggle you've been holding back comes out.

Gideon rips back the curtains to reveal you laying on your back one hand above your head, the other resting on your stomach. “There you are.” You give him a dark look as he drinks you in. You can see him stiffen through his boxer briefs. He kneels on the bed, trailing a hand from your foot up your calf. “You beautiful, dark, angel.”

He moves up, kissing your inner thigh while his nails drag along your instep. You hold back a moan as he continues kissing and scratching his way up. He still owes you for the museum. You let out a surprised gasp as he licks you through the silk. He laughs darkly as he repeats the action, squeezing your thighs. His hand moves beneath your underwear, stroking your clit lightly. It's enough to almost end you then and there. He sucks greedily on the tender flesh of your thigh, marking you there.

“You're so wet, love.” He slips one finger inside you. “And so tight.” You moan as he moves his fingers slowly. He moves his way up your stomach, tracing wet lines with his left hand. “I've missed you so much.” You arch your back as he pulls aside your bra and teases your nipple with his tongue.

“Oh, just like that.” You say panting as he bites gently and pinches your nipples. He continues teasing your nipple as he catches your mouth in a deep passionate kiss. The feeling of his tongue stroking yours as he digs into your breasts is enough to make you want to come right then. You had forgotten just how intoxicating he is. He unclasps the bra and pulls everything off in one smooth motion, leaving you naked. Sitting back on his knees he looks down at you again, his grey eyes almost black with lust. He grabs your hips and brings them up to meet his mouth.

He gives your clit a light flick with his tongue, making you scream. He laughs darkly making you moan as his beard tickles your thighs. He begins ravaging you mercilessly with his tongue, alternating licks and prods with teeth and sucking on your clit. You clutch the silk beneath you as he prods at you. You come as he laps at you with his tongue.

He lets you down and you lay there pants, trying to recover for what you know is next. You support yourself with your arms as you watch him pull his underwear over his dripping cock. “Are you ready for me, Princess?”

You nod, watching as he crawls over you. He pulls you into a kiss as he prods you with the swollen, twitching head of his cock. You haven't quite recovered yet, but the taste of him and yourself is intoxicating. You hear him let out a grunt as he presses his head half way in and stops. You look at him, bot barely able to control yourselves. You wrap your legs around him, trying to push him further, but h keeps you still, “Beg for it, tell me how much you need me, Princess. Beg for your knight to take you, make you his toy.”

You moan as you feel him twitch, and his hips jerk slightly. You brace yourself on his chest, “Take me, take me and make me scream. I need your cock in me, I need you to make me your toy.” You scream as he slides the rest of the way in. You had forgotten how gloriously thick he was, with a length to match. He sets a steady, brutal rhythm. You shift your grip to his shoulders to keep steady. You pull him closer to you and bite his tattoo, soothing the mark with your tongue just as quickly. He grunts and snaps into you, sending your over the edge again. He pulls you into another kiss, drinking your screams, as he buries himself inside you and finishes, deeper than he has before.

You spend a few moments with his entire weight on you. He nips you gently and pulls out, sitting on the side of the bed. “Wine?” He asks you with a smirk. You nod and sit up stretching your back. “I missed you Giddy.”

“I missed you too, love.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. I kinda got away from the who experiment arc for a little while, but it adds a lot to the game I think. And to think, it sledgehammer had only let us know the back story they wrote for Gideon I wouldn't have to write this.


	16. Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is a bit of a filler chapter, but I've been really busy. Also, this will be the last opportunity for the fluffy smut. If you notice the dates, shit's about to go down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The characters are property of Activison/Sledgehammer games.

-Your POV April, 27th 04:55, Paris-

_You sit in the middle of a meadow. The air is warm and sweet with a light breeze, the purple and while violets sway in the wind. Gideon holds your back to his chest as he nuzzles into your neck, he nips your ear softly. “I love you, you beautiful dark angel.” He kisses your neck again and snuggle into him. He puts his head over your shoulder and runs a hand over the swell of your stomach. You smile as you feel something like little bubbles popping._

_“He's moving.” You say, and his hand immediately stills over your navel._

_“How do you know it's a boy?” He pulls you onto his lap and runs his hand over the top of your stomach._

_“A mother's intuition, well more something I get from my dad. He knew what I was before my biological mother did.”_

_“What if I want a girl, a beautiful little thing with my eyes?” He turns your head and kisses you softly as his hand slips under your shirt to caress his child._

_“Then I guess we'll have to have another one after this.” You say as he laughs into your throat._

_“We'll see how you feel about that after you give birth.”_

-Gideon's POVApril, 27th 04:54, Paris-

_“Well, well, well. What have we got here? It looks like Zero-seven-twenty-one-nine found himself a broad and had a kid. Shame you're not a person, you're property, with one purpose, and that is not to breed.” The doctor shakes his head as he kicks Gideon in the gut. “Such a pity, but you know the rules. We can't have the Advanced Soldier genome in the common population. It's time for you to come in out of the cold.”_

_“Gideon! What are you doing? Protect your wife, fight for your baby!” Marcus screams from where he's restrained. Sofie and Matilda are cowering in a corner. He keeps struggling against his restraints._

_“That's enough from you twenty-one-thirteen. Your questions are what started this. YOU killed your wife.” He shoots Sofie in the chest, through Matilda. “And that brat should never have lived.”_

_“SOFIA! Hold on!” He tries to pull out of the restraints again, but before he can free himself the doctor walks to him clicking his tongue. “Now you see the cost of questions, and that is the last thing you will ever see.” The doctor drags a blade across Marcus' throat slowly, smiling as Marcus drowns in his own blood. He holds his head towards his family as he bleeds out._

_Gideon watches in horror, but looks over to see Princess, hanging from a beam, trying to support her weight on her toes. He sees a hand reach out from her stomach. His son was reaching for help. Gideon gets up while the doctor is busy, splinting his broken ribs and grenade torn side. He pulls a shard of glass from the wound and tries to cut the rope._

_Sanders appears from nowhere, shouldering Gideon in his injured side, knocking him across the room. “Not so fast, you little prick. I've still got plans for this pretty little slut of yours.”_

_Gideon gets up again, clutching the shard in his hand. “I'll kill all of you.” He throws the glass straight at Sanders' chest. He catches it as if he had thrown a ball._

_“I don't think so, Zero-seven-twenty-one-nine. I have too much work to do.” He pulls out the gun and aims it at Gideon, who lunges at him. Gideon dodges four shots and grabs the gun, pulling it away from him. He shoots the doctor in the knee as Gideon is grabbed off of the doctor, by another version of himself. He throws Gideon to the floor, stepping on his chest._

_“Save her, damn it!” Gideon looks down at his helpless copy shouting at him. As if in a trance Gideon takes his boot up and stomps the duplicate's neck, and then his head, leaving only blood and brain and bone, and a helplessly mangled corpse._

_He walks over to the doctor and helps him up. The doctor doesn't thank him, but instead hands him the knife. “You know what needs to be done.” Gideon nods stiffly and walks over to Princess, now stripped down to nothing by Sanders._

_Gideon stabs Sanders in the stomach and twists the knife, “There are no strings on me.” Gideon looks at the doctor, “You're next.”_

_“Guess again.” He points back where Gideon is holding Sanders to the knife._

_Instead of Sanders it's Princess, struggling to breathe. Gideon lets her down slowly whispering no all the way. She reaches up and leaves a streak of blood across his face,“Monster.”_

–Your POV 0501–

You wake up, to Gideon thrashing and shouting. He hits you in the stomach and you grab his hand, shaking him. “Gideon, wake up!” He gives one final scream, before he wakes up, sitting up straight in an attack position, holding his breath.

“Gideon, it's ok. It was just a nightmare. I'm here.” He lets out the breath and looks at you, his eyes a mixture of sadness and terror. “I'm right here.” You kiss the hand that you've been holding.

He relaxes as he looks into your eyes. “I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to wake you.”

You pull him closer to you and straddle his waist. “I'm glad you did, darling. The last thing I want is for you to wake up from a nightmare alone.” You don't ask him if he wants to talk about it. You asked before, and he said no. He still had secrets about his past, you understood. He had been born in a lab, and although he wasn't detailed about his childhood you could imagine that an abusive house would have been a safe haven in comparison. You kiss along his beard to his mouth.

His arms come around you holding you, “I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect you and they made me kill you, and our baby.” Tears start to fall down his face as he pulls you closer, placing a hand on your stomach, “I'm a monster. All the things I did, all the friends I couldn't save.”

“Shh...Gideon. You are the man I love, and you love me. If you're a monster, then I'm the monster to match. In life we're all looking for some one who's demons play well with our own. You don't have to protect me. I'm a big girl now.” You kiss away the tears rolling down his cheeks and stroke his beard.

–Gideon's POV–

The two of them sat in silence for god knows how long. Gideon wrapped his arms around her tighter, not sure what to make of the dream and her words. She was right, she didn't correct him like anyone else would do. She knew. She knew that talking about it wouldn't help him. _Then again, maybe it would_.

“I couldn't stop. I tried, they killed Marcus and Matilda and Sofie. It was like before, I was their puppet. They made us burn down a house with three generations of a family inside just to see if we would follow orders and I did. I wish I could take it all back, I wish I could do it again, make my life different.”

–Your POV–

He buries his face in your neck and lets out a choked sob. He's wept before, but he's never really **cried.** You just sit there and stroke his back for minutes that seemed like hours, “It's all right, love. They can't touch you, they can't touch me. I looked into it. Sanders was KIA about six years ago, and the doctor hasn't been seen since. They probably executed him after the project was scraped. They aren't a threat to us.”

You kiss his head and he looks up at you. “How do you know?”

“Daddy doesn't keep secrets from me, well at least with names. He knows I'll just find them anyway.” You kiss him again and shift on his lap.

“I love you. I don't know how I lived before I met you.” He nuzzles into your chest, combing your hair with his fingers. You had expected him to be mad, he had told you not to dig around, that he wanted to forget. You didn't for a little while, but that just wasn't you. When you had a question, you went and found answers. He starts rocking back and forth gently, humming softly.

“Do you want to hear about my dream?” You ask him quietly. He'd had a nightmare, and he told you, now you would give him your dream. He nods as he looks at you, eyes slightly red from crying. You hold both of his hands over your stomach. “We were in a meadow, having a picnic by the river. It was warm, the wildflowers were in full bloom. I was sitting on your lap, and we were talking about our baby, and names, guessing if it was a boy or a girl.”

You feel him tense slightly at the mention of a baby. He shifts underneath you and kisses your shoulder, “Do you think I'd be a good dad?”

You tangle your hands in his hair, just starting to be peppered with gray. “You are everything a father should be, and more than what a husband should be. If and when we have a baby, I know that we'll have a beautiful family.” You kiss his lips gently.

He pulls you closer, “Do you want to go back to sleep?”

You laugh softly and kiss the beginning of crows feet by his eyes, “No, love. It's 0530 and you have to be back in Maryland, we should get up. I hate to think what Mitchell and Joker have been up to since you've been gone.”

“They can wait another half an hour Princess.” His hand finds its way to the small of your back, “Besides, I haven't really apologized for waking you up.” He pulls the straps of your gown down, leaving your breasts bare to him. He teases you by kissing the skin between your breasts while his hands grip your ass. You tease him in return but taking pressure off of his hard cock. You hear him whimper as you lift off, just before he takes your nipple in his teeth, biting down.

He nudges your crotch gently with his still covered erection. You kiss him as he kneads your breasts roughly. You pull at his underwear, he takes the hint and lifts off the bed so that you can pull them down. You hover over his, grazing him with your slit. You hear him whimper again, “You're such a tease.”

“Sweetheart, you know how much I can tease you.” You slide down onto his lap, feeling the muscle of his stomach quiver each time you move. You start to tense yourself as you move in a steady rhythm. Love and admiration drowned the fear in his eyes. His hand wanders down between the two of you and he traces circles your throbbing clit. He presses a nail into you and it's more than you can take. He holds you down as the two of you come together.

The two of you catch your breath for a short while before you get up. “Come on, Captain. You have a plane to catch.” You make your way to the bathroom, feeling alive.

“You're not coming back with me?” Gideon sounds upset. You hear him get out of bed and pull on his pants.

“No, Dad asked me to stay another few days, he wants me to audit the Paris field office. I'll be back on the first. I'll finally be able to get some work done, knowing we have a date pinned down, and I'll be in my own be on Saturday.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is filler esk. Beauty and the Beast takes a lot of time. Also, let me know what you think about the whole kid thing. I'm not sure yet if there will be kids involved, but just in case feel free to suggest names.


	17. Fission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KVA attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I haven't posted in months. I was in a theatre production, and then my brother had surgery. My life has just kinda been terrible since march. Anyway I hope you enjoy, let me know if you like what I'm doing. I'm still not sure the direction I want to go with this.

“Atlas 12-1, Prophet, what is your situation?”

“Prophet, Iron Princess, Atlas 12-1 is KIA. I repeat, Atlas 12-1 is KIA. I have assumed command of the Paris assault force.” You check around the corner of the hall, the emergency lights giving the way a sinister glow. You hear shots behind you.

“Rivera, hold here. Make sure we don’t have any uninvited guests in the control room.”

“Negative on that Princess. Withdraw from the area immediately. 12-2 will take command.”

“Prophet, we don’t have time for this. Alpha team is tied up. Charlie and Bravo are divided. Rag-tag is 25 meters from the control room. KVA is swarming.”

“Rivera, remove Princess from the situation, extraction at the North tower.”

You head shot a KVA grunt through the glass to your left. This was ridiculous. You were in Paris, did they really expect you to not do anything. You secured your friends and the museum and assisted in the assault.

“Rivera, don’t you dare. Prophet, I told you we don’t have time for this. I’m on site, 20 meters out.”

“Irons, get out of there. Clark, carry on.”

“Report me to Daddy later. I have a mission to finish.”

Your father’s voice came across on the com, “Baby, I need you to get out of there. I lost Will, I can lose you too.”

“Daddy, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. We’ll get this done.”

“What if you aren’t?”

“’What if’ doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine I have a wedding to plan. Dobson, clear the room.” It’s a very good thing Rivera didn’t have the balls to try and remove you. He could have if he wanted to, but it seems he was ready to let go of command.

Dobson opens the door and is met by an explosion and blast through the glass of the observation deck. The KVA open fire as he falls the forty meters down. “Everyone inside. You set your Pay tech on the side of the console. Trying to remember what you could in your brief semester of thermonuclear physics. You knew you needed to flood the cooling pools, but this was the wrong console. This was blast shields.

“Johnson, Gold, cover the door.” You say, they look at you from consoles, consoles.

“Reading french is different than speaking it, Colby and I have this.”

They move to guard the door. You hear the dying screams of Atlas and KVA alike. They would pay for this. You move to the console neared the blast shield. This was the right one. You flood the pools. The steadily rising temperature read out stabilizes and starts to decline. “Just keep the area secure boys, we should be in the clear.”

“Iron Princess, Prophet, we show stabilizing temperature. Confirm.”

“Confirmed. The pools are flooded. We should be able to clear the rest of the KVA and claim Paris.”

You hear and explosion in the distance, and see the temperature gauge rise again, rapidly. “All Atlas teams evacuate, the reactor towers have been compromised. Meltdown imminent.”

“Shit.” You pick up your Pay-Tech and move to the exit. “Let’s go boys.”

“There has to be something else we can do.” Gold said, still working on the console.

“The tower is compromised. The coolant isn’t staying where it should be. Unless you want to drown in irradiated water, we have to go NOW.” You check your side arm and move to the, it’s locked. You shoot the hinges and bust it down. The hall it leads to is pitch black, before you can turn on your night vision you hear someone running ahead of you. You see muzzle flash and feel bone shatter in your leg. You hear a shot behind you as you fall to the ground, unable to stand. The KVA that shot you was lying dead in 5 meters in front of you.

“Captain, can you walk?” Gold rips a sleeve off of his uniform and ties it around your leg, causing you to scream. You nod as he activates the stim on you exo. You stand up, and tie the exo closer to your injury, so that it will take the weight.

“Let’s just get out of here. I have a family to go home to.” The entire way back to the war bird is just a haze of pain and stims. You look up to see a tower collapse and feel the debris as explosions rip through the power plant.

“There she is, take us down.” You hear over your comm, you shake your head and realize that you’re on your back laying in rubble.

“We can’t get down there, there’s too much debris. We’ll stall out.”

“And if we go back without her Iron’s will shoot us himself. Take us down.”

You see water flowing out of the remaining tower, coming towards you. You get up, standing on your right leg, being careful not to put weight on your left. Gold offers his hand to you and you take it. He hauls you into the war bird and you pass out.

 

 

– 36 hours later, Gideon’s POV –

Gideon sat at your side, holding your hand. It’s been nearly two days since you were last awake. Gideon had come out of Seattle unscathed, but you, you were in a coma and he couldn’t do anything about it. He wiped tears away from his eyes as he looked down at your cast leg. The doctors weren’t sure if they could save it or not. “Wake up, Princess. We all need you.”

“Gideon, go get some rest. I’ll say with her.” Johnathan Irons walked into the room carrying a cup of coffee, looking worse than when Will died.

“I’m fine. You need the sleep more than I do.” He kisses your hand and pulls a wisp of hair out of your face.

“You aren’t going to do her any good if you’re exhausted. Go.” Iron’s put a hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “I’ll get you if anything happens.”

“Sir, I just need to stay here. I’ve gone longer than 36 before.”

“Gideon, you’re a good soldier, and a good man, but you aren’t a doctor. There isn’t anything you can do. Go get some rest” Irons sat down on the other side of your bed, sipping his coffee. Gideon hasn’t moved. “Do I have to make that an order?”

Gideon sighs and stands, stretching his back. “No sir.”

Just as he was leaving the doctor walks in. Tall and muscular, but gray and balding. “What news, doctor?”

“Good and bad.” Both Gideon and Irons look confused, the doctor scratches his beard and continues. “She’s awake, but due to the dose or radiation and trauma sustained from the rubble all voluntary movement is paralyzed.”

“Can’t you just dose her with the serum again?”

“We can, and we will, but I need to know a few things first.” He takes a pen out of his pocket and clicks it three times.

“You didn’t have to ask any questions before.”

“She was five and decidedly single before.” The Doctor turns to Gideon, pen in hand, “Captain, have you and Miss Irons had unprotected sex recently?”

“Yes, but she’s been on birth control since we’ve been together.” Gideon looks at your father, he shuts his eyes and a tear slides down his cheek.

“At any point had she consumed a large amount of alcohol?” The doctor starts writing on his clipboard as a nurse comes in to check your vitals.

“We were in Paris, so, yes. She was never completely drunk, but she isn’t a lightweight.” Gideon smiles sadly as he remembers that night in Paris. Seeing you in a chain mail bikini had done things to him that he never thought possible. His face fell as it dawned on him. You could have been pregnant, and you were inside a nuclear reactor, and then they had to X-Ray your leg.

“Barbara, draw labs, check her HCG levels.” He turns to Irons and Gideon, “We don’t know what the serum will do to a developing child. The worst case scenario, we wait for the baby to be viable, deliver early and then dose her. If she isn’t we’ll treat her as soon as the serum is ready.”

Gideon is speechless, but Irons asks the question, “What about her radiation exposure? She was inside a nuclear reactor in the middle of a meltdown.”

“I’m not going to sugar coat it. There is a risk of the child having birth defects or childhood cancer, possibly both.” The doctor looks at your stomach with pity in his eyes.

The nurse draws the blood and leaves with the doctor. Gideon stands at your side again and kisses your forehead whist placing a hand on your stomach., tears in his eyes.

“Gideon, it is yours. I have no doubt in my mind he or she will be just as resilient as you.” He sets his coffee down and takes your hand. “She’ll be fine, they both will be. Cancer isn’t the end of a life, not like it used to be.”

“It isn’t that. Look out the window. Is this the kind of world I want to raise my child in? We’ve just been attacked everywhere at once. Everywhere but here is FUCKING RUBBLE!” He swipes everything off a nearby table. The glass from the lunch Gideon didn’t eat shattered on the floor. “I couldn’t stop it… I couldn’t stop thousands of people dying. How can I be a father when I can’t give him a world to live in?” He collapses into a chair crying as security rushes in, alarmed by the sound of glass breaking.

Irons shoos them out and moves behind Gideon, placing a strong hand on his shoulder. Gideon growls through his tears, “I’ll kill them all, every last fucking one of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always comments are appreciated. :D Also, I will be working on a parallel story after this, starting the divide at this chapter. Just to satisfy my inner fangirl, Irons will be a good guy and the KVA will be smarter. Hence why I canged the title. Knight of Atlas would mean Gideon stayed.


	18. Lines on the wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fresh aftermath of fission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERS ARE PROPERTY OF ACTIVISION/SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES, lore friendly plotline is property of Hellblazer_Jane.

– Your POV –

“I’ll kill them all, every last fucking one of them.” You hear Gideon sob, the strong man, the man who never lets anger control him is sobbing. And you’re powerless to comfort him. You want to reach out, but you can’t. You can’t even open your eyes. The sound of his voice scares you, not for you or your baby, but because the KVA woke a wrath that hasn’t seen the light of day seven before you met Gideon.

The thought almost makes you feel sorry for Hades. Almost. He still needs to pay for what he’s done and he will. You know that, Gideon knows that, the whole world knows that, except him. He’ll be strutting about like a peacock right in the open for the hunters to take the shot. It’ll be swift as can be.

 

– 5 hours later 3rd person –

“The tests came back, there is no sign of pregnancy. We can infuse the serum immediately. There’s also a better than decent chance it will partially heal her leg.” The doctor’s voice broke through the dull ache of Gideon’s mind and body. The adrenaline and anger of battle had faded away long ago. All that had been left were thoughts of his fiance and, his possible child.

He remains silent as he kisses your knuckles. _She isn’t pregnant. I’m not a father._

_**And you never will be, not after this. You weren’t there to protect her, not when she needed you most.** _

“Very well, doctor. I want my daughter back on her feet as soon as possible.” Irons gave the doctor a nod. “Don’t worry, angel. You’ll be up in no time.” He places a soft kiss on your forehead and leaves the room. No doubt that he was already coordinating a relief effort. _But how long has it been?_

_I love her, and she loves me. And we’ll have a beautiful family when this is all over._ “I’m here, princess, like before.” He gives a small chuckle. “Just like the first time you opened your eyes.”

_**You know better than that. This will never be over. You’ll never stop being who you are, you’re a soldier, Giddy. Nothing more, nothing less.** _ _**Now, be a good little soldier and give the doctor some room to work.** _

The doctor and nurse come back with an I.V bag of green liquid. “How long will it take?”

“At least a few hours. She’s larger than she was, but the serum is only repairing damage this time. Go get some sleep, I’ll get you when she wakes up.” The doctor busies himself hanging your I.V. You feel Gideon move away, but you don’t hear him leave the room. You’d smile if you could, or slap him. You’d been awake the entire time, from what you could tell, which wasn’t much. All you could do is worry that you were pregnant, and that you’d be stuck like this until the baby was able to survive outside your womb. What was it, seven months, minimum. Not the best way to go through pregnancy, or for your baby to go through the first months of life.

“Captain, you need to rest.” You hear the scraping of chair legs and the soft flumf of Gideon putting his feet up.

“I’m fine right here, I’m not leaving.” Gideon closes his eyes as the doctor sighs and continues his work.

“Geraldine, have housekeeping bring in a cot.” He moves Gideon’s feet off the corner of your bed as he checks for any skin degradation on your feet. “I won’t have you sleeping like that, I don’t need you complaining about your back in the morning.”

“I’m glad we understand each other. My princess is not going to spend a second alone, not like this.” _Never again. Hades will die a very, very painful death, I swear to whatever God could let this happen._

_ I love you, Gideon. I always have and I always will. _

Gideon kisses your lips lightly and settles back down in his chair. In the morning, Princess would be up, and the three of you would have a war to plan.

 

– Time unknown –

“MITCHELL! MOVE!” Gideon shouts above the gun fire while fighting an attacker. The KVA were better than he had ever thought.The KVA soldier lands a right hook, Gideon stumbles backwards, tasting nothing bet metal. _How the fuck is he so good?_ Gideon spits blood, readying himself for the faceless drone. Gideon narrowly dodges a jab and lands a blow of his own in the form of a roundhouse kick. The drone barely stumbles, instead he catches Gideon’s follow up jab, crushing his left hand. “MITCHELL, A little help here mate!” The drone drone jabs him in the chest, sending Gideon to the ground. It stands over him, boot hovering over his head.

Mitchell emptys the full 30 rounds of his AMR into the drone, but only succeeds in distracting the creature. It lets go of Gideon and turns toward Mitchell, walking slowly, as a wolf would stalk prey. Mitchell continues to fire everything he has into the drone, but nothing stops it. It simply keeps walking, as if it feels nothing. _It isn’t even bleeding, what the hell kind of armor is that?_ Gideon picks up a discarded MDL and takes aim, as best he can. He fires one shot and misses, it doesn’t even look back. It simply keeps walking toward Mitchell, who now has a knife in hand. It he was going to die, he was going to die fighting, like Will.

The drone picks Mitchell up by the throat, holding him a foot off the ground. Mitchell buries the knife in it’s arm, the drone looks at the knife and hurtles him at what remains of a brick wall. Mitchell falls to the ground bloodied. He picks up a sidearm from a fallen Atlas operative. The drone walks toward him, paying Gideon no mind. The panther, laughing as he relishes his kill.

Gideon unloads the MDL as he watches the suit of armor throw his best friend.He spits blood onto the ground again and wipes his mouth “MITCHELL, HOLD ON!” He charges the drone jumping onto it’s back. Gideon is thrown into the opposite wall, and once again the drone turns to face him, his head tilted in what can only be interpreted as a look of curiosity. It picks up its lost bulldog from the ground, pointing it at Gideon’s broken form.

Mitchell only whispers, “See you on the other side.” The drone is engulfed in flames as Mitchell fires a single shot at the grenade lodged underneath its neck plate. Gideon sits up, groaning as Ilona and Joker come around the corner, under heavy fire.

“Prophet, Atlas 2-3, we have wounded and are under heavy fire, request immediate exfil.” Ilona picks up Mitchell and helps him to the wall near Gideon.

“Copy that, asset is in the air. ETA five mikes.”

“Copy, dig in.” Ilona hands Gideon her side arm as she and Joker take up positions facing what’s left of an entry way. The onslaught begins fifteen seconds later as the KVA catch up to them. Gideon struggles to speak, “Where is everyone else?”

“We were ambushed,” Joker steadies himself on a large piece of rubble as he fires his pay-tech into the swarm.

“There is no one else.” Ilona deploys her shield, firing above it, covering Joker as he reloads.

“Prophet, where’s our ride! We’re going to be overrun.” Mitchell drops his weapon and falls unconscious beside Gideon, struggling to keep his eyes open himself.

“Eagle alpha is coming in for a gun run, standby for bravo.” The voice over the comm was the last thing Gideon heard before slipping into the welcoming arms of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, obviously not dead. 'Cause lore friendly. Anyway, I am sorry for the slack in posting. I've been busy with school and a terrible case of writer's block. Also I'm beginning a new fic, I don't know if it's going to be Draco (Malfoy) x reader or OC... Fellow harry potter fans, your choice. It isn't that hard to convert either way, and also 3rd person is going to be a staple now. :)


	19. Shoulder the Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's you losing sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we're in the four year gap between Fission and Aftermath. A lot is going to be happening quickly, character development-wise. So bear with me. I am very sorry for the length between updates lately, a lot has happened over the last half a year. My brother had surgery and almost lost his foot, because of a post-op infection. I've been playing mommy lately. your support always means a lot to me, with my god father passing and everything else. So thank you, all of you but especially Dragoness. All of your comments always make me feel warm a fuzzy inside, and make me a better writer.

– January 12th 2056 0130–

You sit on the side of Gideon’s hospital bed. You’ve never seen him so bad of shape. His face was still bruised, his eyes swollen, although not as bad as they were when he got back. He was barely conscious then, every bone in his left hand was shattered, he had four cracked ribs, two fully broken ones and a punctured lung. Along with a bruised kidney and punctured lung. Any other man would have been dead, but not your Gideon. _If this only puts you down for a few days, what’ll it take to kill you?_ You laugh to yourself. But you know you’re just making light of the situation. He very well could have died, if one wrong thing had happened, you would have lost him, the only one you let know everything you are. The man with demons to match your own.

You may not have been born in a lab, or tortured through youth, but those were only a crucible. It forged Gideon into what he is, but it is the actions one takes that give character to a sword. You and Gideon have gone through too much together, not to hold tight. You’ve seen eachother’s nightmares, you’ve watched the same friends die, you’ve both made it your mission to destroy this hell. You’ve thought of nothing except destroying Hades and the KVA forever. Every other thought was nothing. You have Gideon and your thoughts of revenge in this tartarus.

“[Y/n], go get some sleep.” Your father’s voice was soft but clear.

“I’m not leaving him, not until he wakes up and walks me to bed himself.” You look at dad’s tired eyes, _you need the sleep more than I do._ He gives a small chuckle and sits down, sipping on some hot beverage. What it is you aren’t sure. You raise and eyebrow at his laughter, begging and explanation.

“It wasn’t so long ago I was ordering Gideon to go get some sleep. Right after the attacks.” He sets down his cup and looks at you, resting your prosthetic leg on Gideon’s bed. They had been able to save it after the initial attack, but there were complications. Post-op infections are a bitch.

“I remember the two of you talking, I remember most of it. Those were the hardest days of my life. It was different when I was younger. There were no colors for me to miss, I could still move, I could speak. All I wanted was to comfort Gideon, tell him that the baby would be OK, that I was OK. But that’s different now. He’s the one who won’t wake up, and there isn’t a baby, and there won’t be. Not for awhile at least.” You let a tear fall and kiss Gideon’s uncast hand. _A princess is nothing without her knight in shining armor._

Your father sighs, “Don’t let what’s happened stop you from being happy. You want the world to be safe for your children. I understand, Princess. All I wanted was for you and William to be safe, but the two of you had other plans for yourselves. Take my word as a father,” You feel his hand on your shoulder and a kiss on the top of your head, “Children have this habit of taking your plans for them and shaking them like a snow globe. They sometimes break, but if they don’t, you watch the beauty of your little girl or boy grow up into a better person you could ever hope to be. Whatever happens, know that I will sacrifice everything I am to keep you and my grandchildren safe.”

You start crying in earnest at your father’s words. “I can’t lose him. Not after everything that we’ve been through. I won’t let anything else happen to him. If we had more intel, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I need to be in the command center. I need to see what’s going on. I need to see him safe. I can’t let everyone else fight anymore, I can’t just file form for food. I need to...” you start sobbing into your father’s chest. _I need to be in control._

**_There is no control. Not now, not ever. Our fates are sealed from the day we’re born. Gideon will die, when it’s his time, as will you. Children will come when they are ready. These things can not be changed. We can only control out destiny, we can only control what happens before out fate. And when the time comes for us to face the reaper, we can only look at the events that define us and decide if our life was worth something. So, what will it be Princess, are we going to let our knight suffer before his fate or are we going to be his guardian in the sky?_ **

You pull yourself away from your father’s embrace, calming yourself down. Where there was sadness there is now only anger and love. “I need to take the chair. This is my burden, just as much as it is yours.” _Princess died in Paris, I am Adrestia_ _and retribution will be mine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a shorter chapter, it really should have been with 18, but it does have stand alone value. I'll be picking up the length for next time, but the angst stands better alone. Thank you, again, all of you.


	20. Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atlas has been attacked by the KVA, Gideon's demons aren't haunting just him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I put a little easter egg in. Lets see if you guys can find it. :)  
> DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games. Lore friendly plot line is property of Hellblazer_Jane.

– July 10th 2056, Gideon –

“Prophet, Bravo 1. We are clear. I say again, all clear.” Gideon checks what remains of his squad as he watches the compound erupt in flames. Mitchell and Joker were the only consistent survivors after Ilona was pulled back to command for interrogation duty. Those damned drones, “Fuck me.” Three of them could slaughter and entire battalion.

“For people who hate technology, they sure use a hell of a lot.” Joker sits back and examines the damage to his exo. The servos on his right side are all frozen. He took more than a few hits from a drone. Luckily stims were now a standard feature on the suits. He escaped any serious injury. R&D didn’t want to take any chances, considering what a single drone did to Gideon.

“Use a disease to fight a disease, by their logic.” Mitchell was slouched over, and breathing heavily. “This is insane. I understand those suits are more advanced, but we took out the power on that one. It still kept going, almost got Jackson and Cam. I saw them empty a full magazine each into him, he kept going until he bled out.” He regains his composure and looks Gideon in the eye, “What the hell are those things?”

Gideon adjusts his comm to another channel, “I don’t think it’s just tech they’re messing with. Sync to me.” Mitchell and Joker sync their comms to Gideon’s, confused. "Zeus, Ares. Moros is in play. I say again, Moros is in play.” Gideon checks his rifle again, “Daimonas are boots on the ground.”

“Ares, Zeus. Say again, it sounded like you said ‘Daimonas are boots on the ground.’” The three of them were greeted by an unbelieving Johnathan Irons.

“Confirmed, designation 092256. Zeus, please advise. Apollo and Hephaestus are on comm.”

“Divert to Asphodel. Adrestia and I will be en route shortly.”

“Copy that. ETA 0220 local. Ares out. Oy, Wraith, divert to Bravo Charlie. Irons orders.” The pilot breaks off from the pack, answering calls form others.

“You want to tell us what that was about, boss?” Joker’s expression was uncharacteristically dark. Mitchell, well he was quiet.

“It’s a long story, and not exactly a pleasant one.” Gideon scratches underneath his numbers, unsure of where to begin.

“It’s a long ride. What’s going on? Why did Irons sound like he was going to shit himself?” Mitchell shot Gideon a gaze that would leave a different man fearing for his life.

“I… well, I wasn’t born. I was created in a lab. Genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier. Series 7; Batch 21; Subject 9. It was a black ops project that was run by at least three separate countries, maybe more. We were trained from birth, in everything you could think of. We were supposed to be stronger, faster, smarter, but above all hard to kill.”

Joker opens his mouth to say something but is promptly shushed by Mitchell, “Let him finish.”

“The training was brutal. We were beaten, tortured, shot with crowd suppressors. Any one of us could take a bullet and barely flinch. Although they never really did get the programming right. Most subjects either grew a conscience or were too violent. Others took what they always told us too literally and shot themselves. ‘The only place you will make a mark is the place of your death, serving queen and county. All that will ever be left of you is a spot of blood on the ground. So make us proud while you can.’ Those who made it past combat training were taught how to seduce and interrogate, while resisting seduction and interrogation. And let me tell you, I would have preferred the beatings. Being taught how to seduce both a woman and a man at the same time isn’t exactly the most comfortable way to be taught about sex. It was psychological hell in addition to physical. But I made it through, I lost more than a few friends along the way though. But through it all, I was their golden boy. There were talks of cloning me, because I was their first success. I would make sure that the project kept going. The lead doctor, we were never told names, took a shine to me. He even took to calling me son, said that he was my dad. I made him think that I was buying it. When he took me to present his pet to the minister of defense I took my chance and ran. They scrapped the project after that. Those who hadn’t previously escaped were burned alive, while the guards just sat there laughing.”

Mitchell interrupts him this time, “Gideon, I feel sorry for you, but all that does is explain how you didn’t die that day. What does all of that have to do with what’s happening now?” Mitchell moves over to Joker, helping him try to fix his exo suit.

“I don’t need your pity, but you need the entire story, besides we still have another three hours to kill.” Gideon pauses, seeing Mitchell’s face turn beet red. “After I escaped, I spent a few years with a gang in London. I thought I was the only one to escape, and I didn’t have any direction in my life. I was living day by day doing whatever the gang boss told me to do. I did some things with them that I’m not proud of, but it was a hell of a lot better than what the doctors had us doing just to prove our loyalty. I met Irons by sheer chance, as stupid as it sounds. I didn’t see a man with means, or a ticket out. I saw a tattoo waiting to happen. I lifted his wallet. He had plenty of cash on him, and Italian leather fetched a good price in pawn shops. I hadn’t counted on the second layer of the wallet being a tracker. Irons found me, with what few soldiers he had. Atlas was in it’s infancy then, I was only 18. Instead of having me arrested, or killing me, he bought me dinner and offered me a job. As soon as I accepted, he went to work, trying to find the team that created me. For revenge, or to hire them, I don’t know, but those bastards are hard to find. Irons eventually gave up, having only found a few names. After [y/n] and I started planning the wedding she started looking for them again. I told her to stay out of it, but you know her.”

Gideon pulls his tags out of his shirt and kisses the golden band. You were planning a giant ceremony after the KVA were gone, but you had decided that if anything ever happened you wanted to be married. So you had a short courthouse ceremony. It wasn’t the cathedral in Rome your mother had painted, but you could always “renew” your vows later. “She had better luck than dad. The drill Sargent that was so fond of torturing me was killed a few years back, in a bar fight while he was on duty. The others either disappeared completely or were tried for crimes against nature. The only one we haven’t been able to track down has been the lead doctor. Doctor Pierre Danois. We’ve had unconfirmed reports for some time that he’s involved with the KVA some how, but now I know, he’s back at it.”

Joker looks at Gideon, no trace of the humor that usually marks his face, “How do you know it’s him? What’s to say that another doctor didn’t get hold of his research?”

Mitchell reconnects the servo that had Joker’s arm locked. It sparks violently but is successful.

“God Mitchell, try harder to set me on fire next time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time you don’t see a grenade coming. But Gideon, there’s no reason to assume that. It would only make sense to keep low after all of your colleagues have been tried for crimes against nature.”

“True, but then it wouldn’t make sense to use the same tag system, now would it?” He draws a line with his finger under the numbers, moving two weeks worth of growth out of the way. “I got a good look at it, without the helmet. Series 9; Batch 22; Subject 56. They’ve got an army of these things. And it looks like they’ve got them programmed this time.”

“This is definitely a problem. But why all the codes? Ares and Zeus, Adrestia and why do we have code names?”

“Because, it was decided that a team of four would be tasked with taking this project down, the best of the best. Ares, Adrestia, Apollo and Hephaestus. The more people who know about the project, the more likely it will be exploited. And it if is, imagine ten thousand storming Atlas head quarters. Even we wouldn’t be able to stop it.” _Although I could do without my wife_ _finding out exactly what was done to me._ _My Wife. That still sounds so odd._

“Just one other question boss. Why so heavy handed with the Greek stuff?” Joker took off his exo while Gideon was talking and is now laying across four seats.

“Hades is hated and feared, Atlas was the titan holding the world on his shoulders, Zeus rules Olympus, Ares, Apollo and Hephaestus are his sons, but I’m not familiar with Adrestia. Who is that?”

“Adrestia is the goddess of just retribution and revolt. Princess thought it seemed fitting, seeing as how our entire goal is retribution. As for why we’re so heavy handed with the Greek, we just sort of chose a theme. It sounds silly, but it makes naming things so much easier.

– 0233, Asphodel. Belarus –

“Gideon I want every detail.” You and your father join the group of them in the hall on the way to the briefing room.

“Sir, at approximately 0420 Moscow time. Bravo and Charlie company were ambushed by an unknown number of KVA. In their ranks were an unknown number of drones. After I gave the evacuate and self destruct order the sons of Zeus were assaulted by one. The power source on the suit was disabled, but the opponent remained in fighting condition. I stayed behind to allow Hephaestus and Apollo to fall back. While engaged in combat I was able to remove the helmet. The enemy was inscribed with a Project Athos designation, and possessing of all abilities.” There was no trace of your husband in Gideon’s face.

“You’re absolutely sure?” You see your father check his watch and make a phone call, “Lauren, get me intelligence.” His asking for confirmation was only a formality.

“Danois is back in play, we could be dealing with an army of perfected soldiers. If we are, I don’t know if we can win without replicating me.” Gideon’s voice trembled.

“No, Gideon. We simply will not go down to his level. If Hades wants to ‘save’ humanity by destroying it, that’s on him. I won’t allow the creation of life only for it to be destroyed.” He checks his watch again, “Zeus, Alpha Bravo Romeo. Nicoli, we have a problem. I need all available resources put into tracking Dr. Pierre Danois. This is top priority. We need to know where he’s based and what he’s doing. When you have something notify Adrestia.”

Irons opens the door of the conference room General McDonnell is waiting for the group on a video call. “Mr. Irons, what is so important I had to be pulled from dinner with the president?”

“Good morning to you too, General.”

_Why does it have to be McDonnell on Atlas detail?_ “Stop it, both of you. We have a situation that requires immediate attention.” You cut in before they could say anymore to each other. McDonnell wasn’t exactly happy about Atlas PMC being brought on by the UN.

“I’m sorry, when did we start inviting our children to classified briefings?”

_He did not just call my WIFE a child._

_Did he just…_ , “With no due respect, I am enlisted with Atlas as VP and asset, the only time I ever lost a man was in the KVA attacks. As I recall _General,_ you were the one commanding Korea, what was it, two years ago today, my brother was one of the 6,000 you lost in eight hours. I could kill you six separate, **very** painful ways with my **index** finger. If I am a **child** then a child is more effective than you will **EVER** be.” You lean in, fists planted on the table as you say your last words, fighting tears of anger and regret.

“Mr. Irons, remove her from the situation. She is an unnecessary hindrance.” McDonnell was obviously caught off guard by your statement, you relish the victory over the man who ordered your brother to die.

Gideon on the other hand, would not let this go, “You don’t even know what the situation is _,_ _sir._ For all you know she could be an expert in thermonuclear physics and we could be calling to report that the KVA have bombs planted all around the States. You seem to have this habit of not wanting all the information before you decide on your course of action.”

“Control your people, or we cut your contract Irons. I won’t have undisciplined soldiers in my ranks.” You can’t contain your laughter anymore and start giggling like a school girl. “What’s so funny, _Miss Dangerous_?”

Gideon answers for you as you double over laughing on the verge of tears. “It’s Mrs. Dangerous Irons, to you. And she’s laughing because you’re ignoring the present situation due to a young woman in a position of authority.” _He isn’t wrong._ You think it’s absolutely hilarious that the big bad general who made the shitty call is scared of a twenty something girl.

“General, if you refuse to have dealings with my successor then I suggest you start moving on the paper work to break contract. I have my money, and I intend to find the man responsible for the attacks. American oversight or not.” Your father’s tone isn’t angry, it almost sounds like he wants McDonnell to break contract.

“I’ll do that. But you won’t be getting paid. We know about your assets in Ukraine and Bulgaria. You broke contract first Irons. We put up with it, but this is the shell casing.”

“Go ahead and try us, general. But you’ll have bigger fish to fry. Tell Henry I said hello.” Your father hangs up the call and turns to the four of you, “I had hoped that would go better. Odds are Project Athos is based in the US. Otherwise we would have known about this long before R&D was attacked. I assume you saved the data and scuttled the facility.”

“Yes sir, Jackson and Cameron have the data. Carter and O’Neill are en route to Omega to do a security sweep.” Gideon answers your father with some hesitation, his shoulders tight, still unsure if he is going to be reprimanded.

“Gideon, relax. I’m not going to reprimand you for defending your wife. I’d be more concerned if you didn’t. I treat all of you like my sons, because you are my sons. William was lost to us, and there will always be a void where he was, but I couldn’t have wished for better men to stand with me. These last years have been hard, but they’ve taught me that family is more important than money. I don’t care what McDonnell does. _WE_ are going to stop Hades, no matter the cost. Those 50,000 will be avenged.” He sits down and the rest of you follow.

“Sir, from what Gideon told us, we can’t just bomb the facility from orbit. More likely than not, they have backups of data and more than one facility. There’s no other way Danois could have stayed hidden from us for so long. He has to be on a self sustaining compound” Mitchell breaks the silence he held since the moment they arrived.

“And their power requirements must be massive. They have to run incubators and testing chambers.” You say, _That means geothermal and solar panels._ _That compound is either going to be a giant mirror, or a reflective dead zone, false canopy or not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was I predictable, bringing Danois in? It does make sense, since he made Manticore, that he as a background in bio engineering. Also, reinforces Gideon's deliberate antagonism toward him in Aftermath.


	21. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just read the chapter. I can't think of a summary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DICLAIMER: Characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games. 
> 
> It's been a while. I'm sorry. School is busy, life is busy, I got fallout 4. Anyway... comments are always appreciated. It all makes sense to me, but you guys let me know if there are any plot holes, or anything that doesn't line up with the main game. Also, princess has become a sort of pet name. Enjoy. :)

– September 24th, 2057 2000–

“Gideon, what are you doing?” You say as Gideon sneaks up behind you, placing his arms around your waist and nuzzling your neck.

“Do I need an excuse to hold my wife?” He purrs into your neck, his beard tickling where his lips didn’t.

“That depends, how close are you going to hold me?” You put one of your hands over his as the other combs through his hair.

You feel him laugh softly into your neck, “However close you want me, Princess.” He pulls you flush against him. You kiss him over your shoulder as his left hand moves to your breasts and his right untucks and lifts your shirt. You entwine your right hand in his, content as he squeezes your breast lightly and skims your bottom lip with his tongue, gentle as can be.

He breaks the kiss, trailing a line across your jaw to the shell of your ear, “You’re my light, in this never ending night. The fire to keep me warm burns in your eyes, the fire of love, of passion, of ire. Melt the ice of fear with fire, and forge this loose iron of a man. Forge me into a son, a father, a knight. Together, we will win this fight.” He kisses your ear and pulls you closer as his left hand returns to your stomach.

“I didn’t know I married a poet.”

“I’m full of surprises, love.” He kisses your temple and rests his head on your shoulder. “I want to have a baby. Now.” He whispers between kisses.

“Gideon, we talked about this.” You pull away from him and turn around. _He had to ruin the moment._ “I don’t want to bring a child into a world where the KVA exist. You’re the one who made me think twice after the attacks.”

“I know,” he rests his hands on your hips and pulls you close. You look up into his eyes, “I know what I said, but, with everything that’s happened… I can’t just be a soldier anymore. I joined Atlas because it paid well, and gave me a sense of purpose. Now, that purpose is different. I can’t just fight to make a safe world so I can have children, knowing that I could die. I can’t fight if I can’t see the faces of the ones I’m fighting for.” You don’t see tears, just pure, bleak honesty.

“Gideon, don’t talk like that. You’re not going to die. You’ve got Mitchell to watch your back.” _**You know that it’s true. You know he could die, even with Jack and Joker.**_

“Princess, just listen. I know it’s cold and hard and dangerous. I know that raising a baby isn’t easy. I know that I’m asking more than the world of you, but I would rather leave you with a baby, a last piece of me, than leave you with nothing. I know that you’ll be safe, and the baby. Dad won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He kisses you tenderly.

_He isn’t wrong. I just hate to think about him dying. I love him, I wish the attacks never happ_ _ened. I wish Will never died, I wish dad could just build, that he never had to destroy._

_**He wants to leave of piece of himself with you. He isn’t giving up. He loves you, he wants to see the face of your first child, he wants to see the ones that he’s really fighting for. Not for Atlas, not for Johnathan Irons, not for his team. He’s fighting for his family.**_ “Gideon, I… you know that I love you more than anything.”

“Yes, and you know that I would do anything for you. And I know that we’ll have a beautiful family. An adorable little girl, with [h/c] hair and my eyes.”

“What if I want a boy?” You say as you trace a thumb over the numbers on his cheek.

“Then I guess we’ll have to have more than one.” He kisses you and picks you up and walks to your bedroom, and sets you down on the bed. Stepping back to admire you, he pulls his shirt over his head. You looks up at him, the scars and new tattoo showing on his bare torso. On his abdomen was a fearsome reaper, hand reaching out, scythe in hand. But the reaper wasn’t alone, behind it was a lamb, afraid, cowering behind death’s cloak.

“How long has it been? A week, a month, a year?” He crawls forward between your legs, finger grazing up your legs.

“Nearly eight months, I think. Too long.” You say as his hand makes it’s way to your shirt, lifting it up and exposing the flesh to his lips. He looks up at you as he trails kisses across and up your hips, “No, I haven’t been taking my birth control. You aren’t here enough that it makes sense.”

“Good girl.” He growls as he kisses his way up, pulling your shirt over your head. He slides his tongue over your bottom lip and pinches your nipple. You gasp and he takes advantage of your surprise to dominate your mouth. He cups your neck as his hand wanders down to yours. He moves your hand to grope him through the rough canvas of his fatigues. You kick your shoes off, and pull on his laces with your toes. He kicks his boots off and sits up on his knees, undoing his belt with shaking hands.

You sit up, “Never let a man do a woman’s job.” You pull his hands away and undo his belt smoothly, unzipping his fly and kneeling in front of him. You pull him free of his underwear, his cock swelling as you move your hand, pulling his foreskin up and down over the tip.

“Fuck me...” He runs a hand through your hair, savoring the texture. You run your tongue up from the base to the tip, dipping into his slit. He opens his eyes, looking down at you, lips wrapped around the tip of his cock. You push forward, taking as much as you can, you feel him hit the back of your throat and moan. You pull back and go go forward again and again, moaning every time his cock hits the back of your throat, his precum mixing with your saliva.

Gideon grabs a fist full of your hair and pulls you off roughly. You see his cock twitching, ready to burst. “My turn.” He pushes you onto your back, not gentle. He practically rips your pants down and off your legs. He opens your legs and drags your hips to his face. You look up at him, his beard tickling your inner thighs. He makes eye contact with you as his tongue dips inside your slit, just nudging your clit. Your hips instinctively jerk up, seeking more attention. Gideon pulls away, laughing, “Every time.” he dives back in, full force, lapping at you. He adds two fingers, two fingers that know your body better than you do. They hit your spot over and over again while Gideon alternates between lapping and sucking on your clit.

“Gideon… please.” You whisper between ragged moans. He answers you by adding a third finger to the two already ravaging you and nipping your clit. He laughs as your legs squeeze his shoulders. He lowers your hips so that your ass is resting on his cock. He looks down at you as you try to catch your breath.

“I love it when you’re like this.” He lowers you the rest of the way on to the bed and curls up next to you. “Panting, because of me. Waiting for what I’m going to do next.” He kisses your shoulder and turns you onto your side facing away from him. He rubs his cock with the hand that was inside you.

You pull his hand away from his cock, sucking each finger clean individually. You feel his cock twitch against your ass, “Are you ready for me?” He growls as you bite the tip of his middle finger. Gideon turns your head toward him and kisses you, pulling at your tongue with his teeth. He guides his cock into you causing you to moan. He sets a brutal pace, slamming into you, the sound of flesh on flesh clear. You moan again, feeling a second orgasm build. Gideon pulls out of you abruptly and lays on his back. When you look over, he takes your arm and brings you closer.

“I want to see every bit of you.” He pulls your leg over him. You complete the action and mount him, guiding him until you’re fully seated. He looks up at you, hands gripping your thighs. You start to move, setting the same brutal pace Gideon had started, swirling your hips every time you come down. He grunts as he looks down at you fucking him. You’re breathing hard again, from the exertion and the orgasm building in your core. You lean back, one hand on his thigh, the other on your lower stomach. You could feel him through your walls. His grip on your thighs is enough to leave marks. “Princess, [Y/N]…” You come at the sound of your name, you lean forward, hands planted on his chest.

He sits up, arms wrapped around you. He puts you on your back, head at the foot of the bed and captures your mouth. Your arms and legs are wrapped around each other as he rocks into you helplessly. You suck on his tattooed neck, making him grunt and whimper. He rests his forehead against yours, making all of the demonic noises that melt you. With a final roar he pulls himself deeper inside you, stilling as he fills you.

Gideon releases is death grip on you and picks you up, setting you down, and picking up the pillow that he had kicked to the floor. He places it under your head and throws a blanket over you, the softness of the blanket even more intense on your overly sensitized skin. Gideon climbs back into bed and pulls you close. You turn onto your side, laying your head on his chest. “I love you, Gideon. My knight in shining armor.”

Gideon kisses the top of your head and wraps his arm around you, tucking the other under his head. “I love you too, [Y/N]. No matter what.” Gideon looks at his wedding band on his dog tags, the matching engraving making him smile. _To Hell and Back_

–Sept. 25, 2057 0228–

You wake up to your phone ringing, in your pants, across the room, who knows where. Gideon shifts and pulls you closer, “Ignore it.” He kisses your shoulder, “It can wait until the morning.” You snuggle closer to Gideon, his hand resting on your stomach, ready to go back to sleep when the phone stops ringing.

And then Gideon’s starts, and yours, again. “If they’re calling both of us it can’t.” You untangle yourself from Gideon and cross the room. You find your pants, but not your phone. It stops ringing.

Gideon leans over the side of the bed and takes his phone from his pocket. He shields his eyes from the momentary brightness before answering. “Sit rep.”

“We have actionable intel on Athos. Is Adrestia with you?”

“Copy that, Prophet,” He puts his phone on speaker, “Go ahead.”

“At approximately 0426 UTC+2 one of our drones over Romania detected a large reflection and energy spike consistent with high out-put, high sensitivity photo-voltaic panels. We believe a momentary failure in the holographic canopy revealed their position. Orbital imaging shows a large compound, with identifiable holo sims and outdoor training courses.”

“Copy that. Wake Apollo and Hephaestus. Have you briefed Zeus?” You say, throwing Gideon his shirt.

“Negative on that.”

“Get a warbird prepped for launch. I want the Field office prepped for an assault.”

“Adrestia. The risk is high, fuel air bombing is advised.”

“Negative. We’re going in. We need to know how many of these compounds they have.”

“Copy that. Warbird ready in 30 mikes. Prophet out.”

“So much for being off duty for a week.” Gideon pulls his underwear and pants over his well muscled legs.

“There’s no rest for the wicked.” You pull a sports bra out of your dresser, looking behind you at Gideon, who turns on the lamp by the bed. “Ow. Bright.”

Gideon laughs as he ties his boot, “Not all of us have the night vision you do, Princess.”

“But you do,” You walk over to him and plant a kiss on him.

“Yeah, but we should at least try to look normal. The troops already ask enough questions as it is.” _True._ Gideon kisses you again, “To Hell and back.”

“To Hell and back."

–Sept. 26, 2200–

“Sargent, I want a status report.” You are sitting in the briefing room with Jack, Joker and Gideon.

“We’re at the ready, optimal cover in 24 mikes.”

“Copy. Any questions, gentlemen?”

“Yeah. Why aren’t we bombing them again?”

“Get the intel first. We don’t know how many facilities they have. Get the intel, mark the generators, strike it from orbit.” Gideon said, sitting properly in his seat, as was Mitchell, but Joker seemed one step away from having his feet on the table. _And this is why you’re never at official briefings with generals. Other than the fact that you have a warrant for your arrest in eight different countries. What is it with you and sleeping with Princesses?_

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you sure this is the team you want to send in?” He looks at you and Gideon, you had been cuddling on the way here, trying to catch up on sleep. Which more than likely made everyone else in the warbird uncomfortable.

“We’ve discussed this. [Y/N] is a mission specialist. This is my op. When we reach the linkup point we’ll split off into two teams. Joker and I will go after the solar panels and food stores, you and Adrestia will move to the server room and get what we need. In and out. She may be my wife, but right now, we’re soldiers with a mission to complete.” Gideon scoots his chair from under the table and stands. “Wheels up in ten. Move out.”

–2225–

“Link up is just ahead.” The four of you move through the forest following Gideon's lead.

“Patrol, get down!” Joker says, he and Mitchell fall flat, you and Gideon hide behind trees.

“Princess, take him.” You move through behind the guard. You move to snap his neck. He feels you coming and turns around, gun at the ready. You activate your overdrive and pull your side arm, but the patrolman twists it out of your hand. Gideon takes the guard down with a double tap to the head.

“Thanks for the save.” You say, picking up your Atlas custom.

“Be more careful. These guys can feel a mosquito through four layer of clothing.” Gideon picks up the guards radio and hands it to Mitchell.

“Old tech. They’re on the old police band the UN had clear for project gold mine back in 2029.” He clips the radio to his belt after disabling the transmitter, sending the feed through everyone’s comms. “Why would they use this? It isn’t secure.”

“Yes, but no one would think to check that band. War is like chess, you play the game as much as you play the opponent.” Gideon checks his watch, the display lighting up his face briefly. “We have to accelerate our time line. Adrestia, Hephaestus break off, secure the intel. Apollo, with me.”

“Copy.” You and Mitchell move to your entry point, hitting no resistance along the way. You enter the building in a standard one by one advancement. The two of you hit the server room, seeing no one along the way. The radio you took off the guard remains silent.

“It’s too quiet. I don’t like this. Ares, check in.”

“Took down two patrols. All clear, waiting on you.” _At least they’re hitting some resistance. Still might be a trap._ You nod at Mitchell, he connects to the files while you look for the sensor interface around the solar panels. Any movement would trip an alarm and things would get very ugly very fast. You find what you’re looking for and begin the worm protocol. If nothing else was high tech their local security was.

“Ares, sensor net going dark in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… you’re clear.”

“Copy that. Setting beacons.”

“Who are you?” You hear a small voice behind you. You swing around with your side arm drawn to be greeted by a small boy, no older than 9. He has a fiercely curious look in his eyes, shielding pure terror. Mitchell is behind him, ready to grab him to keep him from screaming.

“You shouldn’t be here. The doctors don’t let anyone in the computer rooms. You’re not one of us.” Your eyes are drawn to a string of numbers on his cheek, large for a little boy. _092278:01._

“No, I’m not. What are you going to do about it?”

“I can scream, get the guards.”

“But won’t that get you punished too?”

“Maybe, but it would get you killed. I still win that game.”

“True, so… What do you want?” Mitchell motions at his watch, and you glance behind you. The sensors down means extra patrols.

“I want you to carry a message, outside. I come in here all the time, to look at things. It makes me feel smart. I like looking at old projects, to remember everyone who died so I could live. But they didn’t all die. I want to to find 072109. I want him to come back for us. The little ones, they haven’t got much of the RGS. We can be normal. I thought he was just a story the older ones made up, but then I came here and I saw him. He’s real, they lost track of him, but he’s real. And I want him to come back for us. He’s outside, he doesn’t know about us.” The boy keeps rambling while your head swims in the new knowledge, _We can’t just leave them here._

“How many of you are there, kid?”

“There’s eight of us, Mister. There was a lab accident only 2 of batch 22, subject 78 survived. I’m 1, my twin is 2. The other six are 79,80,81,82, singles. The 83’s are twin babies. Though I don’t think that they’ll be babies by the time you get out of here and bring 7;21back.”

“We can take eight kids. The warbird is made for eight full grown adults, plus exos. We can’t just leave them here.”

“The others won’t go without 7;21."

“He’s a friend of mine. Would you like to talk to him?”

The boy nods. You switch your comm to leader, creating a link between only you and Gideon. You hand the boy the comm, he takes it after checking over his shoulder for the tenth time since he said yes. “072109?”

Gideon is hiding planting a beacon on the generator when he hears a child’s voice on his comm. Joker doesn’t stop taking photos, _Why would princess switch her comm to the specialist channel and then give it to a kid?_ “Who is this?”

“092278:01. The lady said you were 072209. She said you would get us out of here.” Joker looks up at Gideon, confused by the lack of sound on his comm. Gideon holds up a hand, telling Joker to stay alert. “How do you know my designation? Where is princess?”

The kid looks at you, on the verge of tears, like he did something wrong and was scolded by his father. “He wants to talk to you.” He hands you back the ear piece. You hear the muffled “pew” as Gideon takes down a guard. “Ares, there’s kids here. We can’t leave them here and bomb the place.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me that before you put a little boy on your comm? I thought they got you.”

“He wouldn’t have believe you were you unless I put him on cold. He needed to hear you respond to your designation.” You hear Gideon sigh, “Joker, move to the server room. Secondary objective.”

“Mind filling me in, boss?”

“There’s kids. We bomb the place, we’re no better than the KVA. I’m adding a secondary objective, we take the kids with us. They’re young enough they can put this behind them.” Gideon takes two shots at a sensor and moves forward, turning right down a hall toward the server room.

“Boss, shouldn’t we check in with Prophet?” Joker checks behind him for hostiles following a one by one advance pattern.

“Prophet is dark. They have a secondary jammer in place. If we do this, we do it alone.”

“Copy that. Where are the barracks?”

“North of you. We’re moving now.” You say as you set the charges and move. The plan was to fuel bomb the base, but you weren’t going to take any chances with that data. “You’re going to need a name kid.”

“Don’t get attached Princess, I don’t think you’re going to be able to keep this one.” Mitchell says as the three of you round a corner, 78 leading the way, your side arm in his small hands.

You ignore Mitchell, in favor of listening to the boy’s small voice, quiet in the low light of the corridors, “They’ve always called me 78: 1. That’s my name.”

“072209 doesn’t go by that anymore, he has a name. No one except his friends knows it, so the doctors could never find him again.”

“I don’t know… what would I name myself?”

“How about Dominic?” You say, checking around a corner. There was more than one reason to keep the kid talking. The more you heard the more certain you became of his intentions.

“It isn’t fair that I have a name but my brother doesn’t.” He turns a corner and stops. You give the signal to Mitchell to hold up.

“092278:01. Return to your quarters, punishment will follow in the morning.”

“Make me. You’re puppets, the lot of you. I won’t be like you.” The boy raises your side arm in defiance.

“78:01 Return to your quarters or face termination.” The drone’s voice was mechanical, distorted. Like something out of a nightmare.

“My name is Dominic.” The faint sound of the weapon is followed by the dull thud. You and Mitchell round the corner, the drone is dead.

“Their armor is weakest at the neck, double tap where the helmet meets the neck takes them down. The barracks are this way.” He continues forward, opening a storage room door, “Hide him here. It isn’t far.”

You drag the body into the storage room and close the door, heading forward. Eight children is going to be hard to manage, especially if they don’t want to go. The three of you head up the stairs and open the door. Guns pointed at you in greeting. Joker and Gideon take down the two guards threatening you. “Thanks for the save.”

Gideon winks at you and motions the three of you forward, smashing the door panel after it closes. _You can thank me properly later._ “Barracks are this way. The good doctor ought to change his layout between experiments.”

“072109?” The boy cocked his head regarding Gideon with a look of curiosity.

“The name’s Gideon now, kid.” Gideon checks his hat. “We spotted three meshed 2018 black hawks in the hangar. My guess, they have an emp in place for any sort of areal assault. We’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way. Kid, are there explosives in the armory?”

“There’s a self destruct sequence in the lab. I shut down the relay hub while we were in the server room.”

“Who has the codes?”

“You do.”

“Now isn’t the time to be cryptic.”

“It’s a bit of poetic justice. He thought that the two who destroyed him the first time should destroy him a second if it ever came to that.”

Mitchell and Joker look at Gideon in shock, “There’s another one of you?"

Gideon doesn’t answer. He motions to the door ahead. Barracks are through here. Get the kids and get out. I’ll set the self destruct and meet you at the linkup point.”

You open the door to a dark room. Dominic ushers you in and turns on the lights. You are greeted by the sight of dead guards and empty beds. “No, he didn’t go through with it...”

You check the bodies, not just guards but scientists. The bruises on their necks are small, _They tried to escape themselves, and got off to a pretty good start._ “These are either a very small man or a child’s prints. Looks like they weren’t so hesitant to try and escape.”

“I told them not to go. I’ve been watching the servers for the past two weeks. The patterns said you would try something tomorrow. They didn’t listen to me, they should have waited.” Dominic checks the bodies himself, “They took their radios. Do you have one?”

“Give it to him.” Gideon says as he checks the hall behind him. _If they’re somewhere on the compound we need to know where._

“They don’t know entirely how these antiques work. They can’t listen if you’re on the right channel.” He tunes the radio to a different frequency. “Watch as the bodies wash ashore.”

“Whoa, Nobody lives here anymore.”

“2, where are you?”

“Like I’m going to tell you. How do I know they haven’t got you?”

“I’m with 072109. He has a team here, they’re here to destroy the compound, they’re going to take us with them.”

“That’s just a story. He didn’t escape. He’s dead, he died with his series. No one survived, they were weak. We’re strong, we’re going to get out of here.” Gideon snatches the radio out of the child’s hand, angry.

“Listen, kid. You tell us where you are, or we’re going to leave without you.” You give Gideon a dark look

The line is silent for a few moments. “If you really are 072109… bring 1 and meet me in the incubation lab. And cancel your bombing run, they’ve already started anti-aircraft EMPs. IF I believe you, I’ll signal the others to meet in the hangar with the choppers. If not, they’ll stick to the plan. And don’t try to find the others, we’ve spent months on this plan. I don’t need some traitor and wash out to fuck it up.”

“Nice kid. Does he kiss his mother with that mouth?” Joker leans against a wall, nervous about being in one place for so long.

Gideon and Dominic glare at Joker, who pretends not to notice. “The rest of you, secure the choppers. I have a feeling we’re going to be coming in hot.”

“Gideon, I didn’t think I needed to tell you that it’s probably a trap.” Mitchell looks out the door, “It’s too quiet.”

“Between the three groups you probably killed everyone on patrol. The rest are sleeping. We can deploy nerve gas if it makes you feel better.”

“No. I think the explosion will be enough. Come on, we should get moving. Adrestia, take Mitchell and Joker. Make sure the helicopters are fueled and ready to go.”

“I don’t trust it, take Mitchell with you.”

“You take the ‘antique’ If we have the all clear I’ll contact you there. If not...” Gideon stops, clipping the radio onto your belt.

“If not what, leave without you? I don’t think so. I’ve lost people, but I refuse to lose you.”

Gideon steps closer to you, nose to nose. _Not now…_ “It won’t come to that, but if it does, the three of you go.” He drops his voice to a whisper, “I’ve done my part. William needs you.” His hand brushes gently over your stomach, and he plants a chaste kiss on you lips. “Trust me.” Gideon steps away from you, “Let’s go kid. Time’s wasting.” Gideon winks at you as he leave with Dominic.

“All right.” you say, wiping tears from your eyes, “Let’s go secure that hangar.”

– – – – – – –

“It isn’t much farther.” Dominic said, carrying the side arm you had given him.

Gideon knew it was a risk to go alone, but he wasn’t willing to risk your life on something that could very well be a trap. These lives that Danois created were worth nothing to him. Gideon hadn’t known any sort of affection until he joined up with the Doves, any REAL affection until he met Johnathan Irons. Whether that made him strong or weak, Gideon didn’t care. _I won’t risk my son, or daughter. I’d kill every man, woman, and child on this planet, if it meant keeping my family safe._

“Through here.” Dominic opened the door. The room that greeted him was gray and sterile, with a few incubation chambers on the walls and an operating table in the center, covered in scalpels and saws. The fluorescent lights made an unsettling sight downright nightmarish. Off to the right is an observation window, with a small boy sitting on a table.

“2, what are you doing up there? You said IN the lab.”

“We never did escape, 1. That pile of bodies was the last set of washouts we dressed up. What makes you think that these people are who they say they are. Just because some one has numbers tattooed on their face doesn’t mean they’re one of us.” The boy hops off the table, walking into the lab through a door just below the three inch thick, presumably bullet-proof, glass. He’s carrying a rifle, as big as he is, with a side arm.

_It’s not intimidating if you can’t shoot it._

“I thought you’d be taller.”

“Watch the attitude, kid.” _North American accent. American attitude too._

“Why should I? For all I know you’re just some soldier that has a face tattoo.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Gideon checks his watch, T-18 mikes.

“Do you have time for your team?” 2 presses a button on a console near the door to the observation room. The room is filled with screams of pain, female screams. Your screams.

“Princess! Come in.” Gideon pulls his side arm on 2. “Joker, Mitchell, RESPOND!”

“They can’t hear you. And 1, they do know how to use these ‘antiques’, and they knew you were sneaking out at night, and yes **Gideon** they know about you, and your wife. They knew you would be here tonight, and yes, they know about Marcus. And yes, 1 they know you’ve gotten attached. The bitch even gave you a name. It doesn’t matter, they’ll all be dead soon enough. But you won’t be 072109. At least, not right away.” The boy pulls a radio off his belt and sidearm from holster, “Sir, subjects are in the incubation lab.”

“Very good, 78:2. You’ve just earned yourself a week of field time.” _No… it can’t be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry.


	22. Darkest Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nightmare is over... or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of Activision/Sledgehammer games  
> WARNING: This... there's a rape scene. It's not completely into it, but it's there. I need feedback on that one. It's underlined, so you can skip/skim.

 

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” Gideon aims at 2 about to pull the trigger. Dominic jumps and grabs Gideon’s arm, pulling it down causing the shot to hit the ground between the boy’s legs.

“NO! He’s my brother.” Dominic looks up at Gideon, his blue eyes filled with tears. No tears could cool the fire of his anger. The magma in his veins would only be quenched with blood.

“Touching. You still care about me. Shame I can’t say the same. You know the rules.” He drops his arm just a bit.

“What about the time I saved you from falling off the roof? Or all the times I let you win in the computer simulations? All the times I saved you mean nothing to you?”

“You should have let me die.” The doors to the lab burst open, flooding the room with 12 KVA soldiers.

 _Fuck me…_ Gideon pulls his rifle up to his shoulder, dual wielding rifle and pistol. He opens fire and kicks the table over, not really aiming. Dominic dives behind the table, sending the occasional shot at their legs. The drones return fire, sending Gideon behind the table with the kid. “Ever been in a real firefight kid?” He reloads both weapons and tosses Dominic another magazine.

“I’m nine, remember?” The soldiers are putting round after round in the steel of the table. It wouldn’t last long.

“Stay here.”

“STOP! Sarge wants him alive!” They cease fire, only to be fired upon. It was a cheap shot but, _Ask the dead if honor matters and you will be answered with silence, while the victor laughs upon the throne._ Gideon takes them all down except for two. He charges them head on, shield deployed. He bashes one with the shield and grabs the other by the throat, slamming him to the ground before he can react. Gideon feels bones snap and feels warm blood on his hands, whether is was his or not didn’t really matter.

The other soldier fell to the ground, reaching for his weapon. Gideon slams the shield down into his neck again and again, decapitating the helpless thing, spraying everything with blood. He feels something like 30 extra kilos on his back. “This looks important.” 2 pulls the hydraulic cables from Gideon’s exo. He throws the child into the opposite wall, the servos in his suit seizing up as he does. The child stands up again, favoring his left shoulder, “Technology is a cancer. You will never win because you rely on it for everything.”

“You’re wrong kid.” Gideon taps the failing screen on his arm, trying to release the clamps. “Technology is what has kept you safe,” he snaps the clamp off his left wrist, ignoring the brief bite of pain, “it’s what gave you life.” He breaks his right arm free and takes a step forward, breaking the servo that connects the legs. “Without it, you would never have even been a shadow of an idea.” He frees his left leg, unclasping his ammo vest. “Technology is what’s kept me from hunting every last person who made me down.” He frees his other leg, the exo falling to the floor, broken beyond repair. “It’s what’s kept me from being the monster I was born to be. Now? Now that’s gone. And there is **nothing** that can protect you.” He walks slowly to the boy, shrinking with fear at every step, his blue eyes full of tears like his twin’s. Gideon’s hand closes around the boy’s throat, picking him up so that he’s eye level with Gideon, pinned to the wall, barely able to breath. “So, tell me 9 22 78 2, was it worth it? Was the look on an old experiment’s face worth your life?” The boy remains silent, defiance giving way to surrender. Gideon doesn’t relax his grip. “ANSWER ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

The boy gives what would grow to be a terrifying smile, “Yes.” He stabs Gideon with a rather large, jagged piece of glass, the end wrapped in electrical tape. Gideon doesn’t flinch, “You don’t even know the definition of pain.” Gideon pulls his knife from his thigh and tightens his grip on the boy’s throat. “But you’ve got a set, kid, I’ll give you that.” Gideon stabs him in the stomach, creating a small pouch in the boy’s abdomen. He looks the kid in the fading eyes, as he throws the child into an oncoming contingent of soldiers. They catch him, two of them falling over. He pulls a detonator off his belt. “See you in Hell.”

– – – – –

“I can see why he likes you, Miss Irons. You’ve got a certain… fire, to you.” Your captor trails a hand over your breasts, thrust forward from the position of your bonds, hands tied to a pole straight above your head, ankles together. Joker breaks free from the guard holding him and trucks him “It’s MRS. Irons, asshole,” Joker hits him square in the ribs leaving them both in a heap on the hangar floor. Mitchell elbows them both, one in the face the other in the crotch. He’s about to step on the brute’s neck and help Joker when his legs a swept out from underneath him. He stands up, his 6’ 7” muscular form dwarfing them both.

“I told you idiots to hold them. Not zip cuff them and hope for the best. Exo suits or not their some of the best trained soldiers out there.” He picks them both up and throws them back at the guards. They force them down on their knees and take three steps back, guns aimed at their heads. “That’s better.” He turns back to you, “Now, where was I.” He drags a razor sharp knife carefully down your side, just in front of your shoulder, exposing your bra covered breasts. “Oh yes, I was wondering how a scrawny, washed up, fuck up like him ends up with a flame like you?”

“Not by using steroids, if that’s what you’re thinking. There’s such a thing as too buff, you know.” _I should probably keep my mouth shut._

_**It doesn’t matter if you talk back or not. You’re already bruised and he’s going to-** _

_NO! No, no he’s not. Keep him talking, Gideon will get here._

_**Will he? One almost killed him. There’s a fucking ARMY of them here. He’s a fighter, he wouldn’t just go with the guards.** _ _**H** _ _**e’s probably dead. You’re on your own.** _

He backhands you. “Keep your mouth shut, before I put it to good use.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. If Gideon were here, he’d tell you, I bite. A lot.” You snap the cuffs holding your ankles to the post. _For once, I’m glad I lost my leg._ You kick him in the balls, forcing him back. You’re about to pull a knife out of your boot when you hear a gun shot and a grunt. One of the guards shot Joker in the shoulder.

“You pull that shit again, he dies.” Your captor recovers, rubbing his crotch. “Now then, _Mrs._ Irons, I was going to wait for your husband to get started, but I don’t really see the point in that anymore.” He slices through you belt and your pants slip off your hips.

– – – – –

“Are you coming, kid?” Gideon throws the detonator to the ground, with a fleeting thought,Gideon runs a bloody hand through his hair, the motion reminding him that he was stabbed.

“You killed my brother… you used my brother as a FUCKING BOMB CASING!” Dominic points his gun at Gideon.

“Yes, I did. And I regret nothing of it.” Gideon opens a pouch on his vest and removes a field dressing. He takes off his shirt and presses the dressing to his wound, gritting his teeth. He was lucky. It didn’t puncture a lung, and the wound wasn’t sucking.

“What? No speech about how he deserved it, or how I don’t have the guts to pull the trigger?” Dominic fires a warning shot at Gideon’s foot, the bullet ricochets and shatters a light bulb in the ceiling, casting a menacing shadow over Gideon’s blood stained face and body, still glistening in the sweat of rage.

“Do you want a lecture? Because I don’t have time. Sanders is doing God knows what to my wife. And what I did to your brother? It’s going to be a mercy, compared to what I’m going to do to him if he’s laid a hand on her. So go find the others, like it or not, I’m still your best chance out of here.” Gideon stand and pulls his shirt back on, carefully clasping his vest, as to not pull at the dressing. He stands and picks up his hat, lost during the fight, from behind the table, now wrought with bullet holes.

Dominic remains silent as he throws a syringe to Gideon. _Hydromorphone hydrochloride_ _50_ _m_ _g. This is enough to kill a man._ Gideon eyes the kid suspiciously as he leaves, weapon in hand, through the door into the observation booth. Gideon picks up a fallen bulldog, with a thermal sight. _Why the fuck would you put a sniper sight on a shoty?_ Gideon walks through the blood and soot stained corridor, unlatching the sight. _Fuck Atlas, I should be an interior decorato_ _r,_ he thought, _I think I’ll call this pallet hot revenge._

 _ **This is your fault. You sent them into a trap, all because you wanted to redeem yourself and be the hero. THE GREAT 072109.**_ Gideon shoots a patrolling guard and snaps another's neck, leaving a trail of bodies in the narrow corridor.

_Not the hero, I’m just the science experiment that fell in love with the princess. These kids deserve a chance at normal._

_**Well, you robbed one of them of that.** _ _**Why not the rest. You and 13, you were mistakes. These are the final product. They can’t be normal, even the infants. Better to let them all go up in flames, save them the pain of this world.** _

Gideon comes to a T section of the hall way. Two normal soldiers charge him, from either side, live grenades in hand, _Suiciders._ Gideon shoots both in the head and ducks into a room to avoid the explosion.

 _ **And for that matter… what the hell makes you think princess is going to want to be with you after this?**_ _ **You killed a child, what makes you think she’ll even let you near a baby. HER baby.**_ Gideon throws his gun down, it’s ammo spent. He stabs an oncoming soldier with his field knife. He dips down on one knee, slicing the femoral artery of another guard. He keeps going slicing his way through whoever is stupid enough to try and hurt him. _I was created by those who would serve corrupt bureaucracies. I chose another life, I have a father. I am Gideon Irons and those who harm my family will suffer._

– – – – –

You spit in the brute’s face for what feels like the tenth time. He should have listened when you told him you bite, and kick, and scream. He was still nursing his fingers, he was bleeding badly. You knew he was hiding exposed bone, the metallic taste in your mouth did little to comfort you. The little bit of pain you caused him would be preferable to what he had planned for you. You were already completely naked, your clothing cut and worthless. All you could do was stall and wait for Gideon. If that meant taking a few punches, it was better than taking a dick.

“YOU LITTLE BITCH!” He backhands you, leaving a gash on your already bruised cheek.

You look up at him through your hair that had long escaped your hair tie. “I told you I bite. Never bothers my husband, it’s not rough unless there’s a few bruises the next morning.” You sneer at him as clenches his fist.

You look at Mitchell and Joker, Joker looks down trying not to look at you, Mitchell maintains eye contact. “Don’t antagonize him.” _He’s right, but no. Whatever happens I fight_ _if not physically at least with words_ _._

“You should listen to your friends, _Mrs._ Irons. Because you have no idea how _rough_ I can be. But you will after I’m done with you. Maybe I’ll keep you around for a bit, just so the hubby can watch.” He forces his unbitten hand between your legs, two fingers plowing into you without warning, his sharp nails drawing blood. You try to kick him, but he catches your leg with his other hand, forcing it to the side, “Remember what he said, you try something like that again, he dies.” You look over at Joker, pale and shaking, still averting his eyes. He was bleeding, badly.

Your attention is brought back to the man raping you as his nails brush against your g-spot, making you choke back a scream of pain. “What’s wrong, slut? I thought you liked it rough.” You bite your tongue and close your eyes. You were becoming wet, but not from arousal. Your blood was running down your legs. You hear the jingling of metal as he uses his free hand to open his belt.

_**What’s wrong with you? FIGHT DAMN IT! DON’T LET HIM TAKE YOUR DIGNITY!** _

_If I fight, Joker and Mitchell die._

_**To hell with them. Gideon isn’t coming. He’s dead and you’re about to let him do this to you?**_

You feel a hand close around your throat, “You fucking look at me.” Your eyes snap open as he forces your legs wider with one hand. He enters you and your breath hitches. He wasn’t even a quarter the size of Gideon, but it hurt. The cuts and his angle meant nothing but pain, but you wouldn’t scream, you wouldn’t give him any satisfaction. You relax your stomach muscles, no matter how nauseous it made you feel. He picks up speed and tightens his grip on your throat. “You loose little slut. Tighten it up for me.”

“Lay… of… the… steroids.” You gasp, struggling for air.

“So. That’s how you want to play it.” He pulls out and lifts your hips higher, lining up with your other hole. He penetrates you slowly, sighing in pleasure. You gag, looking away as he closes his eyes. You try to think of Gideon, but his size and stature makes that impossible. _**He’s just going to kill the three of you anyway, and Joker is going to bleed out if you don’t do something. You’ve snapped a man’s neck with your legs before. It isn’t hard.**_ You bite your arm as he picks up his pace, the burning sensation increasing as he does. Never before and never again.

You look over at Joker, pale and slouched over, dangerously close to unconscious. _Enough is enough._ You clench and lift yourself up, the cuffs digging even more painfully into your skin. The man in front of you moans as you lift off him, feeling a warm liquid drip down the inside of your thighs. You taste bile and lift your legs further.

– – – – –

Gideon moves into the hangar, staying low. He sees Joker and Mitchell. Joker kneeling in a pool of blood, Mitchell calculating his escape. It would be easier, but these guards were smart. They were a full six steps away, guns at the ready if they tried anything. It was an impossible situation. Mitchell’s eyes were glue to something obstructed from Gideon’s angle. He had four shots left in his silenced atlas .45. _Where is Princess?_

Gideon hears a grotesque moan. “I might keep you around after all, tight little ass like that. It would be a waste to kill you.” Had four shots. He double taps each of the guards holding Mitchell and Joker and tosses the gun aside. Mitchell breaks the zip cuffs and moves to help Joker and Gideon charges in. He sees cum dripping down your legs, the man between them zipping up his fly, admiring his work. He plants a kiss between your breasts and steps back, hands moving to tighten his belt.

Gideon lets out an animalistic roar, and charges into your rapist, picking up the larger man and throwing him on his back. Mitchell and Joker look over, scared. Gideon rips off the Kevlar vest and his shirt. Throwing them over to Mitchell, who seems to get the message.

The behemoth looks up at Gideon dazed, but in recognition. “We meet again, 072109.”

Gideon doesn’t answer him with words, but with a boot to the still half erect crotch, not once but twice. He screams in pain as blood pools on the floor soaking his pants and leaving a red mirror on the concrete. “The name,” he said as he straddles the man’s chest, picking him up by the scruff of the neck, “is Gideon.” Gideon switches his grip to a strangle, cutting off the man’s air supply. “And no one, will remember yours.” Gideon switches his stance, so he’s on one knee and lifts his leg over the dying man. He picks him up, and slams his head into the floor again and again. _**Dead isn’t good enough**_ The back of the man’s head is nonexistent, but that doesn’t stop Gideon. He keeps going slamming the mans head until there is nothing left but blood and brain and bone. Even then, he has to be pushed off to stop, but it wasn’t by one of his team.

Gideon is tackled with a shoulder to his injured side by a drone. He slides across the smooth floor. Joker is unconscious, along with Mitchell and you’re still tied to the pole. You look on in horror as you’re helpless to help him, still nauseous from your ordeal, tears fighting to break free. The drone throws away his firearms and lifts his helmet off his head, throwing it aside as well.

Gideon wipes the blood out of his eyes, greeted by the sight of his own eyes, and the sound of his own voice in an American accent. “Hello, brother.”

Gideon stands up, locking eyes with his duplicate, 092109. “You’re no brother of mine.”

“Really? Is that so? From what I’ve see we’re exactly alike. The only differences, I stayed my tongue, and I don’t have a pretty little wife. She really is beautiful. Sanders didn’t deserve her, I really was quite close to killing him myself.”

Gideon shakes his head, dropping into a fight stance. “Don’t you dare touch her.”

“It doesn’t have to end this way, brother. We can take control of the KVA, stop this madness. You see the pain and devastation, even now the training here has only become more brutal. We can stop it, take control, be a force for good.” 09 takes off his gloves, still walking toward Gideon.

“If you want it to stop, why did you attack my team?” Gideon pulls a knife out of his thigh sheath.

“You got me.” He chuckles darkly, smiling. _If that’s how I smile I understand why people are afraid of me._ “Hades is my father, as Irons is yours. Truth be told, I simply wondered what you would be like. And make no mistake, we’re a lot alike you and I. We would both do anything for our families.” 09 pulls a knife from a similarly positioned sheath, still advancing. “Winner goes back to Atlas” 09 changes to a British accent, mimicking Gideon, “because princess wanted me to keep fighting.”

Gideon charges his double, the glass in his side making it difficult to breath. 09 dodges him like he’s nothing. “You got old, 7.” Gideon turns around and slashes at him, each time he leans out of range of the knife as casually as one dodges a snowball thrown by a child. 09 throws away his knife, matching him blow for blow, landing more than a few punches to wounds that were barely healing. Gideon lands a blow, slashing 09 in the cheek, he returns the favor, stabbing Gideon in his already wounded side and again in the stomach. Gideon goes down on his knees, his clone looming over him “I’m younger, faster. What makes you think you can beat me?”

Gideon looks past to you, still suspended, in shocked, silent terror. _**She’s seen the truth of you. She’ll hate what you are.**_ Gideon starts laughing, looking himself in the eye. His voice takes on a deeper, raspy quality. “I let him out.” Gideon pounces, teeth digging into exposed neck, tearing the jugular vein and snapping both wrists, exposing bone in each arm. He leaves his clone bleeding out, enjoying the metallic taste of blood.

Gideon walks toward you, knife in hand. You shrink back, terrified at what you saw. Gideon looks down into the bright red pool, he himself petrified. His hair slicked back with blood, his eyes dark. He was bare chested, covered in blood. The lamb that was once being protected was nothing but a horrid gash, as if the lamb had been gutted. His teeth were stained red. The dressing on his side was bled through. He wasn’t even sure how much of the blood was his.

Gideon falls on his knees again. His tears falling into the mirror. He looks up at you, undoing your bonds with the knife that 09 had thrown away. He looks away to Mitchell and Joker. The former was waking up, checking his surroundings. Seeing no immediate danger he moved to check on Joker. _I’m an animal. There’s no escape for me._ Gideon makes a fist the knife in his hand hovering over his wrist.

You stand on your feet, actually, for the first time in what seems like days. The floor of the hangar was covered in a ghoulish amount of blood. You pick up Gideon’s shirt and pull it over your head, covering what you could. It was bloody and cut, but more intact than your clothes. You look at Sanders remains. Gideon was kneeling in the pool of spent life, ready to add his own to it, even as his copy bled out not 5 meters away. Your body screamed in protest as you walked to Gideon struggling with himself. Under other circumstances it should be Gideon comforting you, but the gore around you. It spoke for him. It took you years to convince him that he wasn’t all monster or all soldier. Years. All the time you spent with him when you were a little girl. All the years you’ve love each other, made each other happy. Now? Now all he saw was a terrible beast the needs slain, the white knight protecting his princess one last time. But you never wanted a white knight. A black knight with a bloody sword is what you need, because you’re not a princess in a tower. You are Iron, and so is he.

You kneel next to him, bringing the knife away from his wrist. “Come here, Gideon.” You kiss his temple.

“I tried… I tried to stop. But when I heard you, I couldn’t control it. I couldn’t control this monster. I… I killed a kid. He was taunting me, I heard you screaming. I broke my promise. I said I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I let him rape you, I let this happen. I should have taken you with me.” Gideon looks away, his tears coming faster, creating lines in the dried blood.

“Come on. Lets go home.” You stand up and offer him your hand. Mitchell has Joker patched up with a stim from one of the exo’s lying trashed in a corner. He’s still pale, but he’s alive and awake.

“You go. I belong here.” Gideon drops the knife finally.

“No. Gideon, you’re my animal. And we’re going home, back to Maryland. And we are going to shower, and hold each other. Because if we don’t have each other, we don’t have anyone. I like the odds of you and me against the world.” You pull him to his feet and walk with him to the jamming array latched onto the control array.

Gideon’s comm bursts to life with the panicked voice of Johnathan Irons. “GIDEON! God damn it, answer me. What’s your status?”

“Compound clear. ETA to exfil 10 mikes.” Gideon lets go of the talk button and turns around to see Dominic limping to the group barely walking, a small bundle in his arms.

He points at Gideon barely able to carry the weight of the pistol. “HE killed the others. HE’S A MONSTER!” The baby starts crying.

You step in front of Gideon and walk to him, he won’t shoot you, but he will shoot Gideon. “It wasn’t him. They cloned him. Don’t worry. We’ll get the two of you somewhere safe. This will all be just a bad memory soon enough.” The boy falls to his knees and drops the pistol. It goes off, hitting you in your good leg. It’s only a flesh wound, but Gideon catches you before you fall. Mitchell sits Joker down a takes the baby from Dominic’s arms.

“No. I’m staying with my brother. But her, you make sure she never knows anything about this. She’s normal. You make sure of that.” Dominic falls forward, and stops breathing, four exit wounds showing in his back.

Mitchell checks his pulse, shaking his head. Gideon sits you down, and grabs his discarded vest. He rips the patch off it, placing it across Dominic’s torso. He gives him a salute and motions for the rest of the team to follow. He picks you up, and Mitchell hands you the baby so he can help Joker. The five of you leave the facility and don’t look back. The warbird pilot and co-pilot look at each other concerned, giving the appearance of Alpha team. “Three wounded. Get us out of here.” He opens the aid kit and throws Mitchell a blood pack and bandages. Taking some over to you, he begins bandaging your leg. “Zeus, Ares. Mission complete.”

“Copy, Ares.” His voice comes through the Warbird system, “Phoenix, you’re clear for the bombing run.”

“Copy that, Phoenix, 2-3, 2-5 fall in.”

“Gideon, what happened down there?” Gideon doesn’t respond right away. He finishes bandaging your leg and sits next to you. You lean on his shoulder, he traces a hand along the line of the baby’s cheek. He starts crying again and you take his comms. “Gideon, where is [Y/N]?”

“I’m right here, daddy. A lot happened… a lot.”

“How is Gideon?” His voice was that of a concerned father, concerned for his son’s well being.

“He’s been better. We’re on our way back to base. Can you meet us there?” You kiss Gideon’s bloodied cheek. He takes the baby from you and you unclip is radio pack from his belt. The both of you look up as the bird swings around, giving you a good view of the fireworks as you pass directly over it. You’re not going fast enough to close the doors.

“Mitchell, do you still have the hard drive?”

“Yeah. They never took it.” Mitchell hangs the blood pack attached to Joker’s arm on a hook straight above him.

“Toss it.”

“What?”

“I said toss it. It was destroyed when you were captured. No one can have this, no one.” Gideon looks Mitchell in the eye, the animal barely caged. He complies and throws the drive into the flames. Gideon sits back, the baby starts crying again.

“No sweetheart. I can’t. But I can meet you at the island house. We can talk there. I have to finish up something with book keeping.”

“We’ll see you there, daddy.”

“Do you think Marcus will mind taking another one?” Gideon looks at you, full of regret.

“Or we could keep her.” You say, as Gideon starts humming, cradling her in his arms.

“She’s going to need a name.” Gideon finally relaxes, laying back in his seat.

“Laura. Laura Irons.”

– 0326 –

The four of you walk into the infirmary on base. The doctor on duty almost drops his clipboard at the sight. The only ones not covered in blood and wounded are Mitchell and the baby. Joker is still pale, Gideon is still demonic and shirtless and you… well, you still only have Gideon’s oversized shirt on like a dress. It would have been great if you could shower first, but rules are rules.

“Okay. Which of you are actually hurt.”

“Joker was shot in the shoulder, through and through. I have various flesh wounds and a shard of glass embedded in my side. Princess… she...”

“I was sexually assaulted by a hostile, and grazed by a bullet.”

“All right.” The doctor puts his clipboard down and motions you to a bed. You sit down. Another doctor helps Joker to another, a nurse inserts an IV and hangs blood. “What about the baby?” Laura is in Mitchell’s arms, content to nurse a bottle of water you made quickly, after raiding the kitchen for parts.

“My daughter.” Gideon sat down and a nurse is removing the bled through field dressing.

“I see. Nurse, prep the Captain for surgery. We need to get that glass out of there.”

“Just pull it and give me a dose of Anavar.” Gideon lifts his arm for the doctor to see more easily.

“Captain. I will not ‘just pull it’ and give you a steroid.” The doctor picks up his clipboard as another nurse leads you to a private room.

“Check my records doctor. I heal faster from trauma than if you put me under for surgery.” The doctor shakes his head. _Fine, I’ll make it easy for you._ Gideon wraps a hand around the end of the glass, wrapped in electrical tape, and pulls it out. He grabs a pack of gauze and opens it, pressing it to the wound.

The doctor throws his hands up in exasperation, “This is why we draw straws with you Gideon.” The doctor washes his hands, eying Mitchell and Laura. Thinking no one noticed. _There’s also a reason why you’re in Romania and not anywhere there’s actually critical personnel. You don’t even fucking read the charts._

A nurse is stitching up Joker, he and Mitchell are both looking at Gideon like he’s insane. “Super soldier, remember?” His nurse hands him a cup of water and a large oblong pill. He swallows the pill and drinks the water.

“You’re still crazy Gideon. I’m nominating [Y/N] for sainthood. For marrying you.” Joker called out weakly as he lays back, the nurse finished with her task.

Gideon laughs as he lifts the gauze to look at his side. It would scar nicely, but it was almost healed. He stands up, putting the gauze down on the bedside table. He walks over to Mitchell, still holding the baby. “I’m going to shower. You don’t let them touch her.”

– – – – –

“He’s dead. There’s no point in doing a rape kit.” You say, stopping the nurse from rummaging through cabinets.

“Are you sure? He could have escaped you know.” She continues searching. The image of Gideon beating the man into the floor, gore everywhere and still he didn’t stop until the other Gideon pulled him off. You tried to warn him, but he was lost in his rage. It struck you as odd that Gideon was taking it harder than you were. _**Is that really odd though? He promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Something happened.**_

“I’m very, very sure. Look, say what you want. Just take care of my leg so I can go shower.” You offer your leg for her inspection. She looks disappointed with Gideon’s job at wrapping your leg. The nurse clicks her tongue and gets a water proof dressing. And an extra.

“I assume you’re going to want to shower.”

“That would be correct.”

“You really ought to talk some sense into that husband of yours. We’re the med staff for a reason.” She continues cleaning your wound.

“He’s taking me getting raped worse than I am. Pulling that shard of glass out of his side is by no means the worst thing he’s done today.”

“We’ll see about that. Adrenaline can do a lot of things. Events are still traumatic.

“I’m fine. I know that Gideon will love me no matter what. That makes it easier. I just need to convince him of that.”

– – – – –

 _ **She’ll never forgive you. She’ll realize that you broke your promise, and she’ll leave you and take the baby with her. That rage never dies and nothing will change that. You’ll ki-**_ Gideon is distracted from his thoughts by the sound of the shower stall opening. He turns around and sees you stepping in. He’s still got blood in his hair. You squirt some shampoo into your palms and rub it into his hair. “Mind if I join you?” You rub his scalp gently, savoring the fine texture of his hair.

“Not at all princess.” He pulls you closer to him, underneath the water and covers you in soap. “But are you sure you want to join me?”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” You move your hands to massage his back.

“I’m sorry, princess. I should never have kissed you. I wanted you, but I didn’t think about you. I put you through this. I lied to you. I didn’t tell you everything about me, about how I grew up. I thought I could shake it. But I just caged the animal, and today, I became the animal” Gideon lets out a choked sob, “And I can’t put it back. I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you.” He pulls you closer to his chest into a tight embrace. “But I’m more terrified that you’re going to leave me, I don’t think I...” He finally breaks down in your arms, sobbing into your hair.

“Shh...” You pull his head up, his eyes are red and puffy. _He probably wants me to think he go soap in his eyes._ You stifle a giggle, but smile at him. “Then I’ll just have to tame you again.” The water runs down his face, and over his torso. The lamb was healed over, still cowering behind the reaper, you run your hand over the tattoo. “Besides, our little lamb needs her daddy.”

Gideon stops sobbing and smiles, remembering her. “Where is the little angel?”

“Mitchell went to the mess, to see if he could find her some milk.” You push Gideon to the wall of the shower, just to get under the water yourself. You wash up, with him watching you. He closes his eyes and you chance a peek you see him at full mast, trying to hide it behind a washcloth. You kneel down, kissing his thighs. His eyes snap open as you lick the tip of him.

“[Y/N], what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” You pull his foreskin over the tip of his penis, drawing a groan from him.

“Are you sure?” He runs a hand through your wet hair.

You giggle softly. _He’s still my Gideon._ You suck on the tip gently as your run your hand up and down his shaft. He growls and rolls his hips forward instinctively. You let him slide over your tongue and into your throat.

“Fuck me...” He pulls his hips back, and you cup his balls as you look up at him, a mischievous look on your face.

“We’ve been together how many years and I still haven’t blown you in the shower?” You suck harder on his tip and tongue his slit, drawing more sounds from him and a confession.

“I used to jack off to the thought, you on your knees, the water in your hair.” You release him from your mouth, choosing to play with one of his testicles.

“The day I confessed to you...” The rest of his words morph into random syllables as you lick him from base to tip. He grabs a fistful of your hair. Taking the hint you start moving faster, he grunts and you feel him twitching in your hand and his cum in your mouth. You swallow what you can, but inevitably some drips down to your breasts. You stand up under the stream of still how water and wash yourself off. Gideon turns you around and kisses you, wrapping his arm around you.

“Now that we have a girl, I want my boy that looks like you.” The both of you laugh and he kisses you down to your shoulder.

“Speaking of which, we should probably let Mitchell get a shower and some sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really tough time writing that section. It was planned for a while, it seemed the logical flow. I'm sorry. It hurt me. I feel like I'm out of character also. Please let me know. Also, as for the song Gideon hums... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7_eJrrnDo


	23. Light in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. My life took a bit of a turn and that last chapter set was really intense. Enjoy the stress relief fluff.

– March 13th 2058 –

“Gideon! Dad! Come Here!” You shout excitedly. You’re sitting on a carpet with Laura, the 6 month old was far ahead of the curve on development. She’s grown so quickly, it was almost worrying. The doctors said any RGS would be out of her system in six months. She had slown down recently, but not to a normal rate. _Not really surprising._ The little girl is sitting, just in front of your lap, more on your foot, her little feet struggling to get underneath her. The private estate in Thailand is beautiful this time of year, just into the hot season, the perfect place to spend winter.

The two men come running, both in shorts, Gideon shiny and shirtless, your dad in a sweat soaked t-shirt. They must have been playing tennis. Gideon should be out in the field, but dad had insisted he take a few weeks with his family after 33 days straight on the hunt. Just in time too. “What is it, princess? What’s wrong?”

“There’s nothing wrong, silly.” Laura struggles to get up from your lap, balancing on her own two feet without assistance for the first time. She stands up, a bit unsteady. You shift onto your knees behind her, being careful not to bump her with your belly. Laura looks at you, [adj] hair, just falling into her blue gray eyes. “Go on, baby. Go to daddy.” You point at Gideon, on one knee, holding out his arms. She starts walking, slowly, unsteady, eyes wide.

“Come to daddy, that’s right. Left and right. That’s it.” Gideon flexes his fingers, beckoning the six month old forward. The wonderfully convenient part of it, she actually was Gideon’s daughter, biologically. Danois had preserved a DNA sample from Gideon, his first success. _Without Marcus, I wouldn’t have my husband,_ _or my daughter._ Laura fell, making dad rush forward, to comfort his granddaughter. Gideon stops him with a hand to the torso, Laura looks at Gideon curiously, sitting down with her hands between her legs, “It’s all right, angel. Try again. Come on.” She pushes herself up as Gideon motions to her with his hands. She starts walking forward again, arms out stretched.

Laura walks cautiously on the soft carpet, until Gideon wiggles his eyebrows at her, making her fall into a fit of giggles. She makes it to him and he swoops her up, planting a kiss on her cheek, making her laugh more as his stubble tickles her. You stand up and walk the ten feet to the pair, dad making faces at her. Gideon holds Laura in one arm her hair in front of her eyes, and you in the other, hand around your side and on your belly.

Dad kisses Laura on the forehead and disappears out of the room, only to reemerge a moment later with a digital camera. He snaps a picture of the three of you, his smile wide. Gideon and Johnathan Irons smiling in the same room, at the same time. A rare sight indeed. Dad comes back, holding the camera in front of Laura, pointing at her. “Who’s that baby? Huh? That’s you, little Laura.”

Laura puts her hand over his, pointing to Gideon, “Da da.”

Gideon’s smile widens as he moves her finger over to your photo, “And who’s that?”

She points at you, “Ma ma.” She looks around as you brush hair out of her eyes, “That’s right sweetie. Mama’s right here.” Her little finger moves in Dad’s direction,“Gra da.”

Gideon tosses her in the air, making her laugh again, the sweet high sound filling the house. Gideon stops and holds her close to his chest, she wraps her arms around his neck, laying her head down, eyes still excited. Gideon smiles at you, kissing you softly, stroking Laura’s hair. “I think someone’s earned some apple sauce and a nap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are wonderful. Also, I've started to do requests. Feel free to ask. :)


	24. It isn't in your Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay... again. School is just really busy.

– June 23, 2058 –

“Gideon, you’ve been recalled from orbital duty.” Torres says as he walks into the senior rec room.

“I’ve only been here three days. What happened?” Gideon sits up straight in his plush recliner, Joker and Mitchell looking at Torres, curious.

“I don’t know, but it was the big man that made the call. There’s a shuttle waiting to take you back, as soon as they finish unloading the fresh meat.”

“Don’t leave us here with the green boots, please.” Joker gets on his knees off to the side of Gideon’s chair in a begging stance, hands clasped and shaking.

Gideon checks his watch, _June 23_ _rd_ _… Irons made the call…_ “Sorry mate, I have to go.” Gideon grabs his jacket, half running to the hangar, leaving the other three in the room.

“What’s going…” Torres calls after him, “GIDEON!” He shakes his head, sitting down across from Mitchell.

Joker dusts off his knees, a bewildered look on his face, “I think the boss lost it.”

Gideon’s voice echos down the hall, “Ask the book.”

Mitchell puts up his feet, a book over his eyes.

Joker takes the book off Mitchell’s face, holding it in front of his own. “What’s going on?”

“Did you seriously just ASK a BOOK a verbal question?” Mitchell holds out his hand for the red leather volume, flexing his finger impatiently as Joker almost tears a page.

Joker closes the book and puts it in Mitchell’s hand. “You ask it then.” Mitchell doesn’t even open his eyes. He faces the front cover toward Joker, the gold emboss title shining in the harsh light. “William’s Sword, The Warrior Princess. What’s that supposed to tell me? It’s not telling me anything I want to know. But I think Tory here...” He winks at him

Torres laughs and throws another, heavier book.

“I’m surrounded by children…” Mitchell sits up, “What are actual swords made out of?”

“Steel.” Torres stops laughing and looks at Mitchell, abashed. It’s not every day they regress to the level of twelve-year-olds.

“Before that.” Mitchell face palms and sighs at the over exaggerated look of epiphany on Joker’s face.

– 1703 –

You grit your teeth, gripping the railing tighter as another contraction hits you. It takes all the upper body strength you have to keep from falling. “Mrs. Irons you’re not dilated yet. You need to keep walking.” The nurse behind you says sweetly, like some one put a pound of sugar in your coffee.

“I’ll walk when I can feel my fucking legs.” You say through your teeth. The nurse takes it in stride. She was older, her gray hair and wrinkles showing just how many years she’s spent having mothers curse at her.

“Do you want something for the pain?”

“Unless there’s something new in the last ten minutes there isn’t anything you CAN give me.” You start walking slowly, leaning on the railing. The contractions have been getting stronger, and there’s still no Gideon. _Why the fuck did he have to pull orbital duty?_ Your knees buckle and you let yourself down slowly.

The nurse kneels so she’s eye level with you. “I know it hurts. I’ve done this three times myself. The more you walk, the sooner you’re done. Come on.” She offers you her hand, but you bat it away. You knew she was just doing her job, but that didn’t stop you from wanting to throttle her in the face.

“Deb, your shift was over an hour ago. Go home.” Her supervisor was looking over her shoulder at you, his chocolate hair falling into his matching eyes. Your nurse looks away from you to say something, until she sees her time card punched, clocking her out. “You’ve already got overtime.”

“That was last pay John.”

“That’s not what the schedule says. Talk to Pam, or take the red slip.” John winks at you as Deb pats your shoulder, smiling to hide the panic. She leaves in a hurry.

“Thanks for that.” The man walks to you from behind the nurses’ station with a cup of water in hand. He gives it to you and you drink it down, the cold water quenching some of the heat.

“She means well, but you don’t exactly strike me as a sugar kind of girl. Father is a soldier, right?” He points at your belly, helping you up.

“Yeah, one of the best.”

“Atlas then.” He moves with you to another room, with a bed and a view.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“I prefer not to assume. I’ve been punched in a not so pleasant area many times.” He sits you down, and moves across the room. “Walking is well and good, but not when the contractions clamp down on your spinal cord, and when it’s your first.”

“This isn’t my first baby.” You say, gauging his reaction carefully.

He smirks at you, trying to hold back laughter, “And this isn’t my first day in the maternity ward. It might not be your first baby, but it is your first birth.”

“And how do you know that?” You say, placing a hand on your belly as another contraction hits you.

“Like I said. I’m not green, I know what a first birth looks like. The first one is always the most painful, or so I hear, never actually gone through it myself.” He laughs and pulls pillows out of a closet. Then a set of metal pipes. You watch him closely.

“You don’t see a lot of male nurses, let alone on a maternity ward.”

“I did six years as a trauma nurse. I couldn’t tell you how many people I watched succumb to their wounds, and the only thing I could do was give them morphine. I prefer to watch new people come into the world than others linger in pain on their way out.” John finishes assembling a pull up bar as you digest his words. He may not be a soldier, but he’s seen the aftermath of battle. _And it’s always the aftermath that really gets to you. When the adrenaline finally dies._

“The maternity ward has a better energy to it. It might seem like anger to someone on the outside, but really it’s all love. So, where is the soldier?” John moves the pull up bar closer to the bed your sitting on.

“He’s right here.” Gideon walks into the room, all combat boots at dark camo. He didn’t even take the time to change. He sits down next to you, putting a hand on your belly and pulling you close, planting a kiss on your forehead. “I got here as fast as I could. How are you two?”

“Better now.” The pain eases slightly having Gideon there. You feel the baby kick at Gideon through your belly.

“Some one is excited.” Gideon says. You inhale sharply and squeeze Gideon’s inner thigh, painfully. Gideon grimaces, _Fucking hell… go a little higher next time. You won’t have to worry about doing this again._

Gideon pulls your hand off his thigh, entwining his hand in yours. “Sorry.” You say, breathing hard as another contraction rips through you, the strongest one yet. It felt like your lower body was going to snap.

There’s a scream down the hall. “Duty calls. Just scream if you need anything.” John hurries out of the room.

“Dad has Laura in the waiting room. She’s wondering what’s going on.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I left dad with that one.” You laugh at the thought of your dad explaining to the little girl where babies come from, without actually explaining it.

You stand up with Gideon’s assistance and go to the pull up bar. “Spot me?” Gideon places his hands on your hips, as you wrap your hands around the bar and pull yourself up. It felt good, and you didn’t have to walk. You look to your left and almost start laughing again. There’s coat hangars on a table near the wall. You keep going. _Eh, whatever. What are they going to do, yell at me?_

Another contraction. They’re getting closer together. You let go of the bar, standing on your own feet, Gideon still holding you secure. “How much does it hurt?” Gideon asks cautiously, aware that he’s in a very open stance.

You sit down on the bed again, sweating profusely. It was sweltering. “Like they amputated my leg with no anesthesia. Help me with this.” You shimmy the hospital gown down your shoulders. Gideon unties the knot hesitantly.

“Modesty is out the window, it seems.” Gideon helps you lay back, his hand still in yours. You open your mouth to say something smart when yet another contraction grips you. _Time the contractions…_ Gideon looks at a clock above the door, resisting the urge to tell you to breath as you turn his knuckles a ghastly shade of white.

You feel the lull as your uterus relaxes. “I could open an exhibit with the number of people who have checked me in the last 14 hours.” Gideon squeezes you hand protectively. You breath deeply while you can. John walks back in the room with a small woman in a white coat following him. He makes eye contact with Gideon, slightly unsure if Gideon was going to force him out of the room. Gideon doesn’t move from his place, knelt down next to the bed. John fluffs another pillow, you lean forward enough for him to put it behind you. You lay back again, giving Gideon a reassuring smile. Gideon smiles back, his gentle hand caressing your belly. Another contraction hits you by surprise and you scream.

“Have you been timing her contractions?” The doctor pokes her masked head up from between your legs.

“Two mik- minutes.” Gideon smooths your hair back as your uterus pulls you forward.

“You’re just in time then, Mr. Irons. She’s fully dilated.” The woman gets up and walks to the sink near the door, stripping off her gloves and washing her hands in steaming water. “John, go page Shelton.”

John nods at the doctor, exiting the room. The doctor pulls on a fresh set of sterile gloves. “It’s been a long day. You’re almost through it now.”

Gideon kisses your forehead, “I hope it’s girl.”

“It’s a boy.”

“She had her legs crossed for every ultrasound.”

“He’s just stealthy, like his father. Sneaking up on me at 0200 hours.” Gideon chuckles, and you grit your teeth. John comes back into the room with Dr. Shelton. A young woman, newly out of school it would seem. Her dirty blond hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.

“Dr. Greene.” She gives her colleague a polite nod and repeats the hand washing Dr. Greene had previously done. “How are the three of you doing?” She looks over her shoulder at You and Gideon.

Gideon looks at you, an emotion you haven’t seen for quite some time darkens his eyes. Fear. “I’m fine, he’s scared shitless.” You say, he looks something between ashamed and angry, but you both know it’s the truth.

– – – – –

“Where mama?” Laura puts her doll down on the colorful carpet and climbs up into the plush chair next to Johnathan Irons.

“Mama’s in there.” He points to the ward doors.

“Wanna go.” She crosses her little arms.

“I know sweetheart, but we can’t.”

“But daddy go.”

Johnathan smiles at the little girl. Only nine months old, and acting like she’s two. _And to think I questioned them when they wanted to adopt her._

“I know sweetheart.” He pulls the little girl into his lap. “But that’s a place where only mommy’s and daddy’s go.”

“Why?”

“Because, Laura, mommy is having another little one. You’ll have a brother or a sister.” He picks up the blue-eyed doll with brown hair. “Like your doll.”

The girl cocks her head, and looks at the doll in her grandfather’s hands. “Mama mine.”

“Your mother isn’t replacing you.” He turns her around, so she’s completely facing him. “Mama is going to have another little one, so you have another friend. And mama needs your help to take care of it. Like you need to take care of your baby doll.”

The little girl shakes her head. “No. Baby not like doll. Baby cry.”

Johnathan laughs, “Right you are little one.” He boops her nose. “You’re going to be too smart for your own good some day.” The little girl wraps her hands around his neck.

“I tired.” She snuggles into his shoulder.

“I know.” He picks her up, her head laying on his shoulder. “It won’t be long, Laura.”

 

– – – – –

“You’re doing fine. Just breath.” Dr. Shelton looks up at you and Gideon. Gideon gets up from his knees, sitting you up so that you’re leaning against his shoulder. You inhale sharply, the pain in your legs mounting again.

He kisses the top of you head, “I love you.” You scream in response, the pain and contraction forcing the air from your lungs.

“I need you to push.” Dr. Shelton looks up, her face covered by a mask, but by the way her cheeks balled, she was smiling. You grip Gideon’s hand painfully, he doesn’t pull away this time, as you push.

“I can see the head. You’re almost there, just a couple more.” She gives you and Gideon a reassuring look. It was only a few more eternal seconds before you heard the first cries. You feel the pain ease instantly as she brings the baby over, beaming underneath her mask. “It’s a boy!” You hold out your arms for the crying infant.

She hands you your son and Gideon a cauterizing pair of scissors. You feel the smaller contractions of afterbirth. Dr. Greene takes Shelton’s place between your legs, inspecting the placenta for any deformities. Gideon cuts the cord, his gloves hands gentle. He puts the cord and the tool in a biohazard container, the hospital staff could take care of the proper disposal. He takes off the gloves and kisses your forehead, a hand gently stroking his son’s back.

John walks in carrying a pen and birth certificate. “What’s his name?”

“William Johnathan Irons.” You say, a small tear rolling down your cheek. He writes the name and hands Gideon the pen. Gideon signs, and holds it for you to sign. You sign it, turning your attention back to little William. He’s stopped crying, curling up on your chest. He had some hair, and he was slimy. It didn’t really bother you though. He’s your son, your little boy.

Two more nurses walk in. John looks at you, “I’ll take him to get cleaned up, if that’s ok. These two will get you moved to another room. It seems someone else is excited to see her brother.” He winks at you and you hand him the baby reluctantly. John wraps the little boy in a small towel, carrying him gently. “Dad can come too if he wants.” You squeeze Gideon’s hand, giving him a reassuring smile. It was all you could do, the fatigue suddenly hitting you. Gideon kisses your forehead and leaves with John, a silent “I love you” in his eyes.

 

– – – – –

“WANNA GO NOW!” Laura stamps her feet and Johnathan Irons holds her back from entering the Maternity ward. She stops shouting at Irons’ glare, “Daddy there.” She points to the window where she saw Gideon walk past and down a long hall way.

“Soon sweetheart.” Irons picks her up, rubbing a hand on her back. _If this is what Gideon was like as a child, they’re going to have a handful with the two of them._

A friendly looking blond with brown eyes walks out of the ward doors, looking around the room. Several waiting parents and family looked up, hopeful. “Mr. Irons?” The nurse said, all smiles.

“Here.” Irons picks up Laura’s doll.

The little girl perked up in his arms, eyeing the male suspiciously. “Is he a daddy?”

The nurse smiles and shakes his head, “I’m a helper. I help new mommies and daddies with their little ones.”

She nods her head, relaxing, “You help my daddy.” He nods and gestures for the pair to follow him. He swipes a card on the elevator, the three of them enter the elevator.

“This is the unit elevator. If you go out and come back, you’ll have to use the main one to get up here.”

The nurse explains more, but there’s only one thing that concerns Irons, “What is it?”

“I’d tell you, but your daughter would probably stop me from having kids if I told you.” The nurse smiles and winks at Irons. They both bust out laughing, Laura looks at them like they’ve both gone insane.

“That sounds like my daughter, keeping me in suspense until the last minute.” The elevator opens and they step out. Irons reads the name tag, making note of the name. _John Constantine._

John points down the hall. “Last room on the left. 201B.” He walks to the nurses station, logging on to the computer, “I’ll be here charting if you need anything.”

Laura jumps out of her grandfather’s arms, lands in a graceful roll and runs to the room. John and Johnathan share a look. Irons follows after her, armed with a digital camera, ready to capture them moment.

When he walks in the room Laura is up on the bed, looking at the bundle in her arms. Gideon is sitting on the other side, gazing at his son, kissing his wife’s head. He takes a picture of the scene, before they notice he’s there. They look up, surprised at the sound. Irons walks in smiling, “I couldn’t resist. How is the little one?”

“He looks like Gideon.” You say, looking at the features again, already prominent jaw, the piercing eyes, looking up at you. He starts to whimper and cry. Laura looks concerned, “Baby cry.”

“He’s just hungry.” You say, Gideon picks up Laura swinging her around and hugging her while you undo the tie on your hospital gown so you can nurse Will for the first time. You hold your breast to his mouth, he latches on quickly, suckling. _Don’t wait for the milk to come in, start right away… where… health class._

“Mr. John told me you were being quite sneaky, looking for gold fish.” Gideon says to Laura, looking to his father for confirmation.

“No, she was the perfect little angel.” Irons denies, winking at Gideon, Laura giggles mischievously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry again. I'll try to update more frequently , but the chapters take a little while I try to do research and make them as realistic as I can. Also 3 things.  
> 1) This is the last of that four year gap, so no more fluff :( /:)  
> 2)Let me know what you think. It really helps me grow as a writer. Don't be nice if it isn't good.  
> 3) In other news today, March 10th, is my birthday. I got to sit and write all day it was great :)


	25. If it Looks too Good...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath... and the aftermath of aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delay guys. And I know you're probably tired of me apologizing. I had another death in my family right before Easter. It's just been hard. It was barely a year since my other uncle passed. I promise I'll try to update more frequently, but quality is very important to me. I'd rather you wait for HQ sexy fantasies than churn out mediocre smut.

– August 5th, 2059 2400 hours –

Gideon smiles sadly as he folds the picture of the four of you and tucks it in his pocket, behind his radio. The static in his comms almost made him jump, “You okay?”

 _No, I’m not. How the fuck can I be okay when the son of a bitch that made me is less than five miles out? How can I be okay when I can’t kill the bastard that killed my brothers and sisters. And that same bastard used my DNA to make the drones that have taken out five different bases, which technically means I’m killing…_ The slight impact from the landing clears his thoughts from his mind. _Eyes on the prize._ He steps out of the Warbird, giving the pilot a thumbs up as Mitchell follows. “Welcome to Detroit. Two and a half million people live in camps just like this one. No fuckin' holiday, but they've got food, water, security. All courtesy of Atlas. Now the KVA have the balls to move in next door. Fuck me...” He walks down the stairs, about three mental steps from having a breakdown.

Gideon makes eye contact with Joker, all business, or mostly, “You look like shit.”

“Twenty-two days straight. KVA doesn’t take a break, neither do we.” _And it’s been nearly three months since I’ve had any time with Princess. I miss my kids._

“Copy that. They were going to start moving people in next month.” Joker shakes his head, “Then the KVA showed up, now everything's on lock-down.”

“They're protecting our target.” _Slippery french bastard._ “We still locked in on him?”

“Dr. Pierre Danois. He's in the midtown hospital. We're green.”

“Four years of hunting down Hades, and his right hand man turns up on our doorstep. Fucking brilliant” This whole, damn thing was _fucking brilliant_. All of it. The last four years, the thousands of people dead. All for what? Trying to destroy technology? An attempt to turn people back into shepherds and farmers? _Good bloody luck with that. Most of the farmlands were near the reactors. Great job guys._

– – – – –

“Seen your pal, Hades recently?” _Dad._ Gideon throws a punch forceful enough to tear Danois out of Mitchell’s grasp.

He spits out an, “I won’t talk.” as Joker pins him to the floor with a knee to the chest.

“That’s what they all say.” Gideon smiles darkly, “Just before the screaming starts.”

Danois looks Joker in the eye, “You think this changes anything? You have no idea what he's capable of.” He turns to Gideon, “You are all dead!” and back to Joker, “We are dead! Dea-!”

Danois is cut off by Joker’s fist finishing what Gideon started, “Not today.”

Gideon checks the sights on his weapon, “Bag and drag him.”

“With pleasure.”

“Mitchell, on me.” Gideon leads the team down some stairs, with their prize. He’s about to report in when he’s suddenly blind and his ears are ringing. _What is it with these bastards and their flash bangs?_ He tries to get up, but he hears boots and guns, and they aren’t Atlas.

Gideon sees a shimmering figure that fades away into black boots. He hears him talking to Mitchell, “Reactionary forces are inbound. We gotcha covered. Now take the doctor and move out while you can.”

“I like to know who’s watching my back, mate.” Gideon says, his chest on fire. _I’m getting too old for this shit._

“That’s classified, mate.” Gideon’s about to say something else when shots burst through the glass in front of them. The unknowns cloak again and return fire.

Gideon leads his team off the X, when Joker asks the obvious question, “You sure we’re okay with this, boss?”

“Not sure we have a choice.” He leads his team down the stairs towards the hover bikes.

After the others are out of ear shot Joker adds, “The hell was that?”

“Fuck knows.” _I just want to go home._ “On the bikes. Move.” Jokers drags Danois and secures him to the back of his bike. Gideon revs his bike when he hears a helicopter. “Go, go, go!” Gideon jets out of the parking garage at full speed, trying to draw some attention away from Joker. With the extra weight it would take longer for him to reach top speed. Mitchell pulls out behind Gideon, Torres watching Joker’s six.

Gideon hangs a left and takes the most direct path back to base. It was dangerous to travel out in the open sky, but they couldn’t risk KVA back in the garage. The lower levels would be a wasp’s nest by now. Tires screech off to his left, _fuck me._ He breaks right through a building, it could have been an upper class bar at one point, now it was his only cover against a hail of .50 caliber bullets. That and his speed. The hover bikes may top out at 91 mph, but they were more maneuverable that anything else on the road. Eventually those trucks would his a pile of cars while Gideon and the rest of alpha made it home safe and sound… Except they were out of cover, and those were missiles coming from the chopper above their heads. “Watch it!”

Gideon guns it through a field and into another building, taking cover from more missiles. Though it wasn’t the safest place to try and take cover. The stretch was brief, and the former apartment complex didn’t collapse on top of them. Gideon jumps up and over a shipping container and onto the rail way. Not the safest bet, but this was supposed to be a kidnap job, not guns blazing. _If that beam hadn’t broken I would be home by now._ But no, instead they were riding for their lives with precious cargo in tow. On top of that, Gideon was having to path find because their current racing buddies like to play dirty and force him off the road. “Look out!” He dodges machine gun fire from the helicopter and two oncoming trains, looking over his shoulder all the while, “Keep up, Mitchell!”

He jumps a ramp over an intersecting train and back onto the road. The trucks catch up to him. He hears their armor scraping against concrete and steel as they collide with barriers. Armored vehicles are rather heavy, but that doesn’t stop them from hydroplaning. Just one more reason to love the hover bikes. Flooded roads? No problem.

They were on the home stretch now. All that’s left to dodge is some debris and a few more missiles. If it weren’t for the missiles he’s be having fun jumping ramps and what not. _I should see about organizing hover bike races._ Gideon ducks through what looks like used to be a propeller or something. He hears an explosion and shifting metal behind him, “Keep Up!” He unloads a mag toward the chopper, “There’s the gate!” He leans forward, letting go of one handle to signal friendlies incoming, trying to keep his profile as low as possible. He fires three bursts at the gate as it opens. He crosses the threshold and pulls the bike to a stop, his heart racing. “We’ve got a hostile chopper tailing us.”

“Copy that.” The mechanical voice returned. Mitchell and the others pull in, repeating the same maneuver Gideon had done. Except Joker, the extra weight from Danois meant he had already started decelerating. He and Torres had switched positions in the line some where during their chase. He was the last to arrive, and probably the most grateful for the AST’s chain gun.

The blast gate comes to a close just before the fire ball from the downed helicopter reach them. “Prophet, target is secured. Taking him in for interrogation. Gideon out.”

“That was a close one, boss.” Joker throws Danois over his shoulder.

“I’m not surprised. I honestly don’t understand Hades. He’s so anti technology, but he uses so much of it. He funded Athos, and even after we destroyed the compound he still kept the doctor as is his second.” They start walking toward the helipad at the center, going through the same security circuit as that had on the way out.

Once they were on the Warbird with everyone strapped in Mitchell spoke up, “What really surprises me is that he didn’t recognize you.” He points at Gideon.

“You’d be amazed what 16 years, a few kilos, and a beard does.”

“He’s right though, boss. At that compound, he seemed to have an almost pathological obsession with you.”

“The only piece of me he ever saw was a kid who didn’t want to get beaten, just a boy with his ‘Yes, sirs and No, sirs.’ Now though, that boy’s got a wife, kids, and a bone to pick. If I could, I would throw his sorry ass out of this ‘bird right now. But he’s our way to Hades, and 50,000 souls need their revenge.” _Besides, maybe if I play nice Ilona will let me have a go at him._

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Joker agreed.

There was an hour of silence before Mitchell spoke up again, his eyes laced with concern, “You never answered my question. Are you okay?”

Gideon turns off his comm and signals Mitchell to do the same. The others, except the pilot had long fallen asleep. “I wish I could undo the last four years, 50,000 innocent people are dead. How many more after that? If I was given the opportunity to save those people, stop the attacks, I don’t know if I would take it. If I did undo these years it would still be just me and Princess. I know we’ve been at war, but at the same time, I’ve never been happier. I have everything I didn’t even know I wanted. I have my wife I adore, my children I’d do anything for, a father, and brothers. I’ve never been so conflicted before. Not when we were in that compound and I killed a child, not when I was on the streets in London. I… I just...”

“It’s okay, Gideon. I know the feeling. If I could go back and save Will, I don’t know if I would. Maybe I’d be dead instead, or I’d have my arm. Whatever the case, I would always be a Marine. I wouldn’t have join Atlas. I wouldn’t have met Joker, or Ilona or Princess, or you. I wouldn’t be William’s god father. I wouldn’t have more family than I know what to do with. We look at the past and see what could be if we changed a single step. But we can’t get caught up in the ‘what-ifs.’ No matter what, we need to embrace the consequences of our actions, whether tragic,” He points out the open door of the Warbird, “or glorious.” He points at Gideon’s heart, to the picture of his family just after William was born.

“Speaking of which, I figure we’ll have a bit of leave while Ilona works her magic. And Laura is getting to the point where she knows _something_ is happening...” Gideon rubs his neck, “Would you mind...”

Mitchell starts laughing, “I’ll watch the two of them for a couple days.”

“Are you sure it isn’t a bother?”

Mitchell becomes serious, “If it will save her the trauma of walking in on her parents, I’m all for it. Been there done that.” He can’t keep a straight face, “You should have heard my dad.” He pulls his eyebrows together, sets his lips, and deepens his voice half an octave. “Jack! Get the hell out of here! Go to your room!” He drops back into his normal expression. “About ten minutes later he walked into my room, I was under the covers reading a book. He pulled the covers off my head and he just kinda hugged me awkwardly. I pulled away from him because I was nine and I heard choking. I though he was hurting my mom, ya know? And he was a hard ass, but he always knew what I was thinking. ‘Listen, Jack, I wasn’t hurting your mom. Sometimes adults… do… things... to each other. And um… it gets rough sometimes, but it’s not meant to hurt…’” Mitchell sighed still in character, “’I’m not good at this shit… When two adults love each other, they… make love. And it sounds… scary sometimes. But when they do that they make a baby, and you’ve been asking for a brother, so we were trying to make you one, and it’s a very private thing. I know this doesn’t make much sense now, but it will when you’re older.’ I just kinda nodded. He gave me a new flashlight and walked out of my room.” Mitchell looks up to see Gideon scribbling furiously with a pencil.

Gideon looks up momentarily, seeing Mitchell’s confusion, “I’m sorry, I was taking notes on how _not_ to have the talk with William.” He shows Mitchell a detailed sketch of his Dad impersonation and they both burst out laughing.

– – – – –

“Daddy!” Laura runs to the Warbird, hopping excitedly and dodging security trying to grab her gracefully as the door opens. She was two, but more like the size of a five year old, she talked like one too. The RGS took four times as long as they had predicted for her to process it.

Gideon scoops her up as soon as he’s able to get out of the ‘bird. “Hey there, specialist.” He kisses her cheek, the dawn light making her hair shine.

The guard who tried to grab her apologizes, “I’m sorry Captain. We’ve got no idea how she gets past the security check points.” The soldier looks down abashed.

“Easy, she’s 5 and she’s my daughter. And she’s quite the pick pocket,” He pulls a key card out of her front shirt pocket and hands it back to the guard. “Lawrence, don’t feel bad. It’s not just this base she’s gotten past. Usually she’s faster.” Laura giggles as Gideon kisses her again.

Mitchell walks up behind Gideon, “Looks like we’ve got a future infiltrator on our hands.”

“Uncle Jack!” She salutes Mitchell before reaching to give him a hug. Gideon lets her go. The three of them walk through a set of checkpoints, all of them sounding alarm because of Laura. She giggles and squirms out of Mitchell’s arms as she goes off the way she came in.

“She was just a baby. They didn’t have time to train her, and you’ve only had her for two years. Just… how?” Mitchell takes off his exo and stows his stolen M12.

“She comes by it naturally. She is mine, and she’s adorable and sweet and looks so innocent. Also, a few of the doctors had a theory about genetic memory and predispositions. They didn’t have much, but it was enough that some of them wanted to start a breeding program. They may have had something after all.” Gideon steps out of his exo and logs the proper damage forms.

“Let’s just hope she stays on our side. And with how fast she’s growing, it might not be long until she’s fully grown.” Mitchell opens the door for Gideon.

“The doctors say the RGS is out of her system, but they may have engineered them to grow faster than normal.” Gideon slams his locker shut.

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. As long as she stays on our side.” They walk out of the armory together, Laura was sitting on a bench waiting on the other side.

She gets up and grabs both of their hands, dragging them to the command center. “Mommy and Granddad are waiting for you.”

“Sweetheart, where’s your brother?”

“Aunt Sofie and Uncle Marcus were here visiting Mommy. But mommy had to work. So they’re with Will.”

“I want you to head on back there, Okay?”

“But I miss you.” The little girl stops with tears in her eyes.

Gideon kneels down in front of his little girl, “I’ve missed you too, sweetheart. But daddy is still working. Two days, darling. Then I’m all yours.” He kisses her forehead, “Okay?”

“Okay, daddy.” The little girl runs off, stealing a guards flashlight on the way. She waves it in front of his face when he didn’t notice. She then bolts, climbing a fence onto a rooftop, all pig tails and giggles.

He starts to run after her when Gideon shouts, “Mate, that’s my daughter. Nothing happens, you understand?” The guard gives Gideon a thumbs up before boost jumping onto the roof. “Kids.” He laughs and keeps walking with Mitchell to the command building.

“She’s gonna be a heart breaker some day.”

“Better her breaking his heart, than me breaking his neck.”

“So that’s what being a dad does, huh?”

“A lot’s changed in the past five years. Before you were around it was me, Ilona, Princess and Joker. We were the best, never one failed mission, always got everyone out. Before that she was broken, blind. Her mom died when she was 14. I had just joined myself, at this point. I wasn’t even officially a trainer. But there she was, this angry blind girl begging to be taught how to fight, so she could protect herself. I said yes, eventually. And after she was assigned to me I swore I would have her six, and I knew she would have mine. I would do anything to protect princess, and I will do anything to protect my daughter. And nothing, _nothing_ is going to tear my family apart. Not the KVA, not the next bastards who think they can fuck with us. Family is everything.”

“Copy that.”

– – – – –

“Gideon, Mitchell I trust everything went well?” Irons was sipping a cup of coffee, watching the security feed while Ilona prepared for Danois’ interrogation.

“Mission completed, but there were some… complications along the way.” Irons raises an eyebrow, “We were ambushed,” Gideon continues, “after we secured the doctor. We may all have been dead if a second team hadn’t backed us up. They wouldn’t identify, but they had stealth tech and their leader, at least, was American. They covered our six while we made our escape.”

“How many?”

“Three, but there may have been more in the shadows. I’ve never seen Exo-Cloaks that advanced. You could barely see a shimmer, and only if you were looking for it.”

“Well, whoever they were, I’m glad they were there.” You walk in the room with coffee for you, Mitchell and Gideon, “I just wish they had left their names so I could send them thank you cards.” You hand them the coffee, which the pair sips gratefully, careful not to burn themselves.

“I’m not overly concerned, Gideon. I expected the U.S to send in a team themselves, probably some secret task force dedicated to the KVA. You know governments and their black-ops programs.”

“I still prefer to know who’s watching my back,” Gideon grumbles.

“I know, but right now, the only enemy is the KVA, after the attacks, nearly every country in the world called a cease fire. As tragic as these attacks were, the world has never been more unified. I’m just glad you’re all safe.” You say, burrowing your way under Gideon’s arm.

“Ilona, where are we?” Irons’ hand hovers over the comm button.

“Almost ready.” She adjusts her bra and opens the door. “Is he conscious?”

“He’s waking up now. You should be ready to go.” He turns to the others, “I trust you’ll want to watch the first hour or so?”

As Ilona starts her routine Joker pats the security monitor on the shoulder “Fred, start the timer. I want to know how long it takes for him to crack.”

The four men pull up chairs to watch Ilona’s magic, “Gideon, can I talk to your for a minute?” You take Gideon’s hand and he follows you. He looks back at Joker who is making the middle school sex gesture behind Irons’ back. Gideon flips him the bird while dad just sits there sipping his coffee and watching his best interrogator work her magic.

You pull Gideon into a small office that you made your base of operations while your were in Ohio. As soon as he shuts the door you’re on him, pinning him. He doesn’t resist when you capture his mouth in a heated kiss, your hands undoing his belt impatiently. He breaks the pin and turns you around, his lips and teeth nipping at your neck. You worm your hand into his pants, giving him a gentle squeeze. He growls in response, one hand cupping your neck the other undoing buttons on your shirt. It takes everything he has not to rip the pale blue cloth. He pushes your bra aside with shaking hands, teasing your nipples, darkened from child birth. He squeezes your breast gently, a small stream of milk dripping from your nipple and over his hand. You feel your face heat and turn away as he licks the drop from his wrist and takes the sensitive bud between his teeth.

“You’re beautiful.” Gideon says before he sucks on your nipple gently. He smiles internally the sweetness floods his senses. He releases your nipple and kisses between your breasts, leading you to your desk. He lays you over the stack of paper work that you have to do. His hands are gentle as they wander up your skirt, pulling your thong down and over your heels. He kneels down, your thighs resting on his shoulders. He blows a breath over your glistening slit, and you shiver, his tongue dips inside your folds simultaneously, lapping at your clit and breathing in your scent deeply. _How can a woman be so sweet?_

You bite the back of your hand, trying and failing to keep quiet. You look down at Gideon, his eyes are closed as he laps at you like you’re water in a desert. You arch your back as he presses his thumb into your entrance. “Gideon… please...” You moan quietly when he stands up, removing his hands and leaving you wanting.

“C’mere, Princess.” He slips his pants down and sits, the leather of your chair creaking under his weight. You sit up as he pats his thighs, his cock standing proud between them. You get up, legs more than a little shaky from Gideon’s attentions. You mount Gideon, just hovering over his cock. He pulls your into a kiss, all tongue and teeth. You bite his lip as you guide yourself down onto him. You give a content sigh and you tense around him, “Like a fucking glove,” he growls.

His hands wander to your hips, guiding you up and down on his shaft. “Do you know how good you feel, Gideon?

“Not half as good as you.” He grunts as your hand wanders to your clit rubbing slow circles around it. He cups your left breast gently, capturing your eyes with his, silently begging you to go faster. You oblige him and yourself, you hand match pace with your hips. You feel yourself tightening and grind yourself on Gideon, his muscular frame giving you all the friction you need to tumble over the cliff into bliss. Gideon gives a final few thrusts and pulls you closer to him, his head falling back in silent ecstasy. His eyes are shut as his cock twitches, filling you with stream after stream of his hot seed.

You rest your forehead against his, the both of you taking a moment to slow your breathing. You just sit there for a moment enjoying his scent, the sweat and gunpowder and adrenaline was heavy. It was him. You’re the first to open your eyes. The last five years were beginning to take their toll. He looked tired, he looked _old._ The wrinkles on his face were becoming more prominent, and they weren’t from years of laughter. They were from worry and anger. You probably didn’t look much better, being a mom was a lot more stressful than you though it would be. On top of that you were coordinating operations with dad. You were beginning to understand more now why he was so tough on Will. Dad had pulled him closer, tighter, and Will had run away. It was only so that he would be safe. You had known what it was, but you hadn’t understood until you held your own children.

“I think our minute is up, Princess.” Gideon laughs softly and pulls you off of him gently. You stand up and button your shirt. He does the same, tucking himself away in his fatigues, and handing you your underwear. “Do you always wear a thong in that skirt?” He smirks at you, staring at your ass while you pull your skirt down.

You take it and slip it back on over the basic black heels you were wearing. “Only when I know you’re coming home.” Gideon reorganizes the stack of paper work that was about three millimeters from being on the floor. He coughs as he tosses you a torch lighter. The citrus candle on you desk was lit within a second, the smell of grapefruit almost immediate. Covering up the evidence was something that had become routine for the two of you. More often than not you would have _maybe_ 20 minutes before he shipped out to the next base, chasing the KVA, or you had to go in Dad’s place to some strategic meeting.

Gideon walks around the desk to you and wraps his arms around your waist. You return the gesture wrapping your arms around his neck. “I wish you were here more.”

“I know. I wish I was too, love.” Gideon plants a brief kiss on your lips, “I hate being away so much, but we’re so close now. So close to catching that bastard. And then Laura and William,” his hand moves to your stomach, “and little Jack will be safe.”

You lock lips with him, just gentle and chaste. You pull back and lay your head on his shoulder, “And then dad can retire, you’ll retire from the field _and_ you can distract me from my paperwork any time you want.”

He chuckles softly, “Is it really _me_ distracting you when you’re the one that pinned me to the door?”

“We both know I’ve never been able to pin you.”

“You got me there.” Gideon pulls you into another kiss, his tongue begging to be let in. You pull him close and open up. You could feel him start to rise again and ponder how much the carpet would tear into your knee when there’s a knock on the door followed by the squeak of hinges.

Marcus pokes his head in, “I’m sorry to interrupt,” You and Gideon separate reluctantly. At least is wasn’t Joker or dad. You’d never live it down. Marcus continues, “but William won’t calm down.” He opens the door fully and walks in, kicking it closed behind him. He’s struggling with a very fussy baby. He won’t hold still and looks as if he’s about to cry again. He reaches out to Gideon, his little fingers flexing as Marcus almost drops him.

“Come here, little man.” Gideon moves forward before you can and takes Will from Marcus’ slightly red arms. “What’s wrong?” The little boy doesn’t calm down and continues squirming in Gideon’s arms. Gideon starts bouncing Will, wiping away his tears to get his attention. Very softly Gideon starts humming.

Gideon kisses William’s cheek softly as the toddler falls asleep in his arms. Marcus is smiling as are you. “I told you you’d make a good dad.” Marcus says softly, careful not to wake your son.

“The real trick is putting him down after you get him to sleep.” Gideon raises an eyebrow at his son, grabbing fistfuls of Gideon’s shirt.

You laugh softly at Gideon’s comment, “You’re the only one who has that problem.” There was many a night when Will wouldn’t go back to sleep unless you played a recording of Gideon reading poetry. And on the rare instances when Gideon was home Gideon would have to sit with him until he was fast asleep. Which, during those first few weeks meant that Gideon spent most of the night with him. You move forward and Gideon wraps you in his free arm, pulling you closer.

Your son’s hands relax and you take him from Gideon. “I’ll take him back to bed. Go get a shower and change. You still have that formal debrief with McDonnell.”

“I’d rather tell that bastard where he can shove it.”

William stirs and you kiss his forehead, humming softly. Marcus answers in your stead, “As much as I think everyone would like to see that, Hades is still out there, and like it or not, America is the next leading force.” Gideon grumbles and kisses you on the cheek, he walks out of the office with Marcus on his tail. Marcus winks at you knowingly before closing the door.

“Do you want to tell me why you’re actually here?” Gideon looks at Marcus sideways as he leads the way back to the apartment building Atlas took over.

“Do I need a reason to visit my brother?”

“When your brother is an assassin, yes. Who are you after?”

“Actually, Danois.”

Gideon stops and Marcus looks back turning abruptly, “Mate, as much as I hate it, we need him.”

“I know that, but I’d like to get a few swings at the bastard.”

“When we last talked you said you wanted to leave him as far behind you as you could. Why the change of heart?”

“Can we talk about this somewhere more private?”

“Mate, if you wanted privacy we should have stayed in the office.”

“Look, Gideon, lets talk about this over breakfast.”

Gideon feels his stomach grumble and nods briefly. He starts walking again, to the apartments. The walk doesn’t last long, and Gideon stops only briefly to shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. He stops to kiss Laura before heading out again. She’s sound asleep, probably exhausted from leading the guard over rooftops. He sees the shelf of flashlights has a new addition and chuckles softly. “That’s my girl.”

– – – – –

The cafe is empty at this hour, and even if it wasn’t no one would be stupid enough to eavesdrop on Gideon’s conversations. He and Marcus get their food and sit in a booth.

Gideon sips quietly on his coffee before opening the conversation again, “So, do you want to tell me why you’re after Danois all of a sudden?”

“He tried to kidnap my wife and daughter.” Gideon almost spouts, thinking back to his recurring nightmare, “That’s why we’re here. It’s not safe for Matilda and Sofie anywhere else.”

“I’m sorry, mate. I never thought he’d be that desperate.”

“Well, apparently he was, after you destroyed his training ground. And you tossed the hard drive.”

“How did you know about that?”

“Come on, you know me and I know Atlas, and I know you. Danois figured you’d have the data, but he couldn’t pull it off of Atlas’ servers.”

“What are you saying, mate?”

“I’m saying that Hades has agents inside every major military. Atlas is no exception.”

“Then why did you bring your wife and daughter here? If what you’re saying is true, then it isn’t safe.” Gideon eats a forkful of scrambled eggs waiting for Marcus to answer.

“Because they’ve compromised every safe house I have.” He leans forward and starts counting on his fingers, “They were waiting for me in England, Russia, Bulgaria, California. I figured you could help. [Y/N] has the best security, they’re used to kids. I just need you to keeps Sofie and Matilda safe while I run these bastards down.” He points a fork threateningly at Gideon for emphasis, “No one threatens my little girl.”

“You aren’t doing this alone. If they capture you they’ll just clone you, like they did me. And the only reason they’re after you and not me is because you’re the easier target. As soon as Sofie and Matilda settle down with [Y/N], Laura and Will, the KVA will move on the five of them. Danois may have been their lead, but the project Atlas took down was bigger than he could manage.” Gideon aggressively bites a strip of bacon and sits back, “I’m not letting my brother hunt alone.”

“Gideon. I appreciate the offer, but you’ve got your hands full here.” Marcus looks at him, “Could you even get away?”

“Don’t see why not. Danois is sitting very pretty in a room with Ilona and Athos is just as much a threat to Atlas as it is to you. If there are remnants going after us, it’s only a matter of time before they would come after Laura and William anyway.” Gideon continues eating his breakfast, “Irons won’t stand for it. He’s lost too much of his family already. And I refuse to lose more of mine.”

“That settles it then.” Marcus chugs the rest of his coffee and stands up. Gideon follows suit, chewing a piece of toast. “First things first, we need to know how they found out about my safe houses. And keep this quiet. The fewer who know the better our chances of success.”

“In case you’ve forgotten I know the drill as well as you do. I know how you operate, I hired you once remember?” Gideon looks over to see Marcus trying not to laugh.

“I almost forgot about the pig in a suit. I never finished that one. The KVA took care of him for me. Still got paid though.”

“That was more for your wife.” Marcus looks at Gideon sideways, “A thank you for something she gave Princess.”

“Glad you made use of it.” They spend the rest of the walk back in silence. Now that Gideon knew there were unkind ears he couldn’t help but feel jittery.

As they edge closer to the apartment building Gideon picks up his pace. Marcus speed up to a light jog behind him, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. But… something isn’t right. Danois… there weren’t any drones guarding him. It was too easy.” Gideon bursts into the building drawing a startled gasp from the receptionist. She pulls a pistol from under the desk and checks behind him. “Marcy, where’s the spare key to the Irons penthouse?”

The blond woman doesn’t respond, save opening the cabinet behind her. She shows him the red key card and he snatches it from her and swipes it on the desk reader. The lights flash red and an alarm sounds, indicating a forgery. “Fuck...”

Marcus is already at the elevators, opening both of them. The receptionist triggers a lock down, the lights and other ambient settings remain the same. The doors lock automatically and the elevators are brought to the ground floor. Marcus hurries the passengers out of the elevators, checking for children among them.

Gideon takes the radio and side arm from the receptionist, “Command and Control we have a possible breach in the housing complex. Two assets are on sight. Proceeding to high value assets, authorization Gamma Charlie 1 1 Epsilon. How Copy?” Gideon clicks his watch into mission protocol, starting a timer.

“Copy that Alpha, starting air defense protocols. A team is on the way, secure high value assets.” There’s a pause as some one else picks up the radio, “Boss, what’s going on?” Joker’s voice came through loud and clear along with the sound of a Tac being loaded.

Marcus opens the emergency hatch on the elevator and signals Gideon to follow him up. “I think the KVA are after my kids, and they’re in the building right now.” Gideon follows Marcus up onto the roof of the elevator, handing him a spare ear piece.

“All right. Mitchell and I will take a chopper to the roof and work our way down.”

“Copy.”

“Let’s go.” Marcus grips the side of the elevator shaft tightly, lifting himself up. Gideon follows his lead on the opposite side, climbing with adrenaline fueled speed. Forty flights of stairs wouldn’t be much easier, they would be watching those. At least this way the had the element of surprise. It was smooth climbing until thirty flights up. The support beams that they had been using for foot holds became nonexistent, recessed into the walls. “Gid. We have a problem here.”

“My side too.”

“Drop down, we’ll take the stairs from here.”

“No we don’t have time, they’ll see us coming.” Gideon wraps his foot in the cables separating them. “We do this like Tokyo.”

“We were kids then, and we had eight. That’s a three man move, we have to go down.” Marcus starts letting himself down to the 30th floor.

“Listen to me. There’s a better than even chance Sofie and Matilda are in there. We don’t have time to argue about this. You’re the lighter that me. Now go.”

“Damn it, Gideon.” Marcus climbs up as far as he can before grabbing the elevator cable two meters above Gideon’s foot. Marcus kicks off the wall to the adjoing side before jumping off the wall again, switching cables mid-flight and landing with a foot on Gideon’s shoulder and another into Gideon’s chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Gideon’s grip falters momentarily before he rights himself, sucking in a breath of the greased air as Marcus climbs up to the next available hold. When he’s secure he offers Gideon his boot. They climb side by side for the next ten stories, Gideon’s side the only one with any sort of hand hold. Of course, mag grips would have made short work of the shaft.

When they reach the final door Gideon jumps off the wall, catching himself with a greased left hand. Marcus joins him, again using Gideon’s shoulder to help himself up onto the narrow ledge. He pulls Gideon up next. Gideon offers Marcus a switch blade, but he refuses. There is a mechanism on his wrist gleaming in the dim light of the elevator shaft. Gideon nods, clicking the safety on before stowing the pistol back in his waistband. Unsupressed weapons just wouldn’t do here.

Marcus listens for a moment before nodding at Gideon. They pull the doors open and step out into the hallway, knives at the ready. At patrol of three come around the corner near Marcus. He slits the throat of the nearest one and jabs the other two in the throat to silence them. Marcus takes the fixed blade from the dying man’s chest, stabbing the guard on his left in the side of the neck, pushing forward and severing his spinal cord. The third tries to turn and signal for help but Marcus is already there, wrapping his right arm around the helpless man’s neck, dragging the serrated side of the wrist blade across his flesh. The three bodies fall to the floor, the plush red carpet hiding the evidence of the encounter, save the bodies and the wet spot. The first to go down is trying to crawl away, but Marcus is on him with a kill stroke to the back of the head.

Marcus stands up and smirks at Gideon. His eyes asking, “ _Impressed yet?_ ” Gideon doesn’t give any indication to him before throwing the switch blade. It nicks Marcus’ ear, but ultimately lands with a meaty thunk in the chest of another guard coming out of the bathroom. “A little warning next time.” Marcus touches his ear and it comes away bloody. The freshly wounded guard falls on his knees, before falling flat on his face.

Gideon says nothing and leads Marcus to the apartment, taking a silenced rifle from one of the fallen. There aren’t anymore guards. _Something isn’t right_. Gideon checks his watch, _03:39_ , Marcus and Gideon stack up, Gideon ready to breach the door. He hands Marcus the key card and checks in, “CC Alpha is ready to breach.”

“Copy that. You have the ball, teams are en route to the roof.”

Gideon nods to Marcus who swipes the card and turns the knob. Gideon kicks the door in, to find an empty living room. Marcus goes off to the left and Gideon to the right. Gideon searches the bedrooms and finds nothing.

“SOFIA!” Marcus screams. Gideon rushes to the living room. There’s a trail of red boot prints leading from the kitchen to the nursery. Gideon runs into the formerly inviting room only to see Sofie’s blood staining the once pristine white a dark red.

“We need a medic to the Irons penthouse, pronto. Two gunshot wounds to the chest.” Gideon scrambles, pulling a blanket from the nearby box. He kneels down, and sets the folded blanket over Marcus’ hands. Gideon nods and he pulls away, letting Gideon take over applying pressure. There’s a confirmation over the comms for a med team, but the two men are more concerned over what Sofia is trying to say.

She points to the door, her voice weak, “Roof.” Marcus nods at Gideon and they switch again, Marcus staying with his wife. Gideon picks his rifle up and bolts out the door. He hears engines start and doubles his speed, taking the stairs two at a time. He busts out onto the roof just in time to see a soldier handing a crying Laura to another man. Matilda is already on the Warbird, holding William. You are cuffed and gagged. Gideon shoots the guard still on the roof and rushes the bird.

The pilot takes off, closing the cabin doors. Seeing Gideon, Matilda distracts the KVA soldier. You kick Laura lightly and point with your shoe out the door. It was a 20 foot drop, but she had made higher landings before. The girl gets the message and slips out the door just before it closes. You lose sight of her. You close your eyes a pray silently for patience. You aren’t Gideon. You’re no match for the men with you right now. All you can do it bide you time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I rambled a bit in sections. Any feedback is appreciated, it's been a bit since I've picked this up. As always I love reading your comments when you leave them. It's always nice to know that my work is appreciated. :) Also I'm setting a goal for weekly updates. So, every Friday I'll try.


	26. ... it Most Certainly is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KVA don't know what's coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I'm not going to apologize for the length between updates. You're tired of hearing it. The semester has just been so hectic. But here you are. Enjoy :) As usual comments and any feedback are appreciated.

– August 6th, 2059; 0739 –

“CC this is Alpha, disable the AA batteries. I repeat, disable air defense. Eagle’s nest has been compromised.” Gideon stands on the rooftop with no way to reach the Warbird hovering 20 feet above him. “MITCHELL WHERE’S MY BIRD?”

Joker and Mitchell come up the fire escape, armed with sniper rifles and side arms. “Almost the entire ground crew was KVA. They sabotaged them all.” They come up the last flight of stairs to the roof, guns at the ready.

“Tell me you have a boost rig on.” Gideon turns and takes Joker’s rifle Mitchell shakes his head, radioing something in. Gideon aims at the pilot, surveying the cabin. You’re the only one who is bound. Matilda can’t exactly fight while she’s carrying William. Laura is sitting cross legged, crying. Gideon lets the rifle drop, watching as the cabin door closes.

Gideon pulls two grenades forcefully off of Mitchell’s chest, a threat and a smart grenade. He crushes them both, removing their casings. He cobbles together a tracker using them. The threat grenades use a radioactive gel to tell the exo’s computer where the enemies are. Atlas identifiers cancel the signal. But if Gideon can rupture the canister and get it onto the Warbird they should be able to track it for at least two hours, long enough to get an idea of where it’s going. He pulls a lace out of his boot to tie it together. He throws the tracking grenade, hoping that it had enough fuel for the extra weight. It doesn’t. It goes off before it comes anywhere near the ‘bird. Gideon falls to his knees, Joker and Mitchell desperately trying to find a working Warbird.

Gideon looks up, watching as the door closes so painfully slowly. It’s as if the pilot was deliberately taunting him. Just before the cabin seals as set of [hc] curls catches Gideon’s eye. Laura was moving. She slips through the doors and jumps the thirty five feet. She comes up short, missing the edge of the roof by a meter. “LAURA!” The three men bolt to the edge.

When they look over the edge she’s holding onto a window sill five stories down. It’s more of a planter box, not even made of plywood. It’s barely holding Laura’s weight. The actual sill is too narrow, even for a child’s hands. “DADDY!”

Mitchell and Joker break a satellite dish and start pulling cable. Joker keeps pulling and coiling while Mitchell ties a harness and takes it over to Gideon. He looks over the edge, the climb would be no trouble for him or Marcus, but Laura is too small. “Hold on, Sweetheart, I’m coming down.” Gideon raises his voice, but doesn’t shout. She doesn’t need to know he’s panicking as much as she is. “Jack, if I go into a free fall, wait until I call you.”

Mitchell nods and Gideon ambles over the edge, making his descent. He carefully touches one of the boxes. It breaks underneath the weight of his boot. “Lower me down, there’s no climbing this.”

“Joker, help me out here.” Mitchell calls Joker over, Gideon lets go when he feels the slack get taken up.

They start lowering him slowly, but pick up the speed when they hear Laura scream again, “DADDY! IT’S BREAKING!” The box she’s hanging from give a resounding crack as it starts to pull away from the wall.

“Sweetheart, look to your right. Do you think you can get to the other box?” The girl starts to shift to the right, but the box gives another crack as another bolt separates from the brick.

“Drop me. It’s 10 meters.”

“Joker get me slack.”

Joker pulls ten meters of cable and wraps it around him, creating a second belay point. He braces himself against the wall and nods to Mitchell.

Gideon kicks off the wall, pushing himself into a swing as Mitchell lets go. The arc of the swing brings Gideon down and behind Laura. He snatches her off the wall, the motion also taking the planter box of the wall.

The sudden weight of both Gideon and Laura jerks Joker forward, but his leg is braced and won’t let either of them fall. “Boss, you got her?” No answer, “BOSS!”

“We’re fine, I lost my radio in the fall. Pull us up.” Laura wraps her arms tighter around her father’s neck, sobbing into his blood soaked shirt. He holds her tighter as Mitchell and Joker hoist them up, “Shh… I’ve got you.”

“They’re gonna hurt mommy. Like they hurt Aunt Sofie. I tried to run, and...” She sobs again.

Gideon lets go of her with one arm, hoisting them both up and over the edge. He leans up against the wall, holding her tight, “They aren’t going to hurt her anymore. I won’t let it happen.” Gideon kisses the top of her head and stands, stepping out of the harness and still cradling her in his arms.

Joker picks up his rifle. Marcus comes up the stairs, bloodied hands and rage. He looks around for Matilda, but only sees Gideon and Laura. Marcus falls on his knees, Gideon’s silence more telling than any apology. He hands Laura to Mitchell and squats down in front of Marcus, hand on his shoulder. Joker speaks first, “We’ll find ‘em, boss.”

Gideon looks over his shoulder at Joker, not giving him a response. He looks to Marcus, “I tried to be a good man, a soldier. But that isn’t the truth. It never was. I wasn’t their first success, I am their grandest failure.”

“My wife… my daughter, your son, your wife… They had better run.” Gideon stands and offers Marcus his hand. Marcus clasps it and lets Gideon haul him up.

Gideon goes to Laura and kisses the top of her head, “I have to go away for a bit, sweetheart. I’m going to find mommy and Will. Okay?”

“Don’t go without me.” She looks at him with wet eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. As long as I’m with you, you’re in danger. They’re not going to stop. I have to go.” He kisses her forehead again, and she goes back to crying into Mitchell’s shoulder. “Do have somewhere she can stay? She can’t be anywhere near Atlas.”

“I can talk to my parents. My mom is always nagging me about grandchildren.”

Gideon gives Mitchell a nod and goes to the fire escape, signaling the other four to follow him. “CC, this is alpha… Eagle and 2 Chicks are gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Irons voice is panicked.

“I mean they took Princess, William and Matilda. They had an Atlas Warbird, and apparently most of the ground crew were KVA sleepers.” Gideon takes the fire escape down, barely bothering to use the stairs. Marcus follows his example, swinging from balcony to balcony. Laura follows his example, kicking out of Mitchell’s arms and chasing after him. “Do me a favor and put Ilona on.”

“Gideon, what’s going on?”

“Danois was a trap. The KVA have agents everywhere, and they’re good. Somehow they found out that Princess would be there during Danois interrogation, and that she would have the kids with her. They took her, William, my niece, and shot my sister in law. Laura escaped, we’ve got her. And I’ve got the feeling Danois knows every detail. I want a crack at him.”

“Let me do my job, and you do yours. I’ll get the intel, you pull the trigger.”

Marcus shakes his head as they make it to the ground floor. Laura jumps down into Gideon’s arms, she giggles, the climbing having alleviated her tears. “Ilona we don’t...”

“Gideon, no. You’re too close to this. Danois is too important. I can’t take the chance that you’ll kill him. And then we’ll be right back at square one.” Her voice is stern.

Gideon sighs, “Fine. But I’m trusting you with this. Get the intel and get it fast. Put Irons back on.” He hears the microphone being passed, “Meet me in Princess’ office.”

– – – – –

Gideon opens the door to the office. The candle is still lit from earlier. The powerful scent brings tears to his eyes. Irons is sitting in front of the desk, Princess’ chair empty.

When he hears the click of the door he looks up, hopeful to see Laura. When he sees her absent he looks back down, his eyes unbelievably dark. “Where is Laura?”

“She’s with Mitchell and Joker. I don’t trust anyone else.”

“I’ll have my personal crew prep the jet. I’ll take her to Thailand...”

“No. No, Atlas.” Gideon refills Irons’ glass with whiskey before sitting down with a glass of ice water himself.

“Where are you sending her?”

“She’ll be safe. That’s all you need to know.” Gideon sips on his water.

“She’s my granddaughter, soldier, now tell me where you’re sending her.”

“And she’s my daughter. The more anyone at Atlas knows, the more danger she’s in. I’m just trying to keep her safe.”

“Like you kept [Y/N] safe? Like you kept your own blood safe? You never cared. You’re just a science project gone horribly wrong.” He downs the whiskey in one gulp. His words are slurred slightly, like he had already started drinking before Gideon had even got there. He looks over to his left, the decanter of vodka was empty.

“Sir, I think you’ve had a little much.” Gideon puts down his glass and takes his comm out of his ear. He gets up and takes Irons’ glass.

“I’ve had enough to see truth, Captain. My daughter would be safe if you hadn’t decided to seduce her. She’d be happy, no threat of kidnapping. She wouldn’t have been raped in that compound. Everything bad that’s ever happened to her is because of _you._ ” He gets up and pours himself another glass, dropping the stopper on the carpet. Gideon remains silent and Irons continues, “And now, you won’t even let _me_ take care of that little _monster_ that Princess loved so much.”

“ _Monster._ Is that really what you think of her? That’s she’s just some _thing_ to be feared, that _somehow_ the KVA programmed a baby to kill? Or are you calling her a monster because she’s mine? Well, think what you will of me, but don’t you _dare_ call my little girl a _monster._ And what is this about how [Y/N] lov _ed_ her. You’re talking like she’s dead.” Gideon gets up and takes the decanter from Irons. When he tries to take it back Gideon lets it drop on the carpet. The crystal survives, but it’s contents are lost.

“Because she _is_ gone, Captain. You said it yourself. And it’s all _your_ fault.” He pushes a finger into Gideon’s chest.

Gideon bites back a retort, “I’m going to find her, and my son. I’m going to make this right.”

“No you’re not, Captain. I’m grounding you effective immediately. You are not to leave this compound.” He grabs a different decanter off the tray and takes a swig from it directly.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am. I already did the paperwork. You and your freak brother are staying here, and we are going to clone you, and then you’ll be disposable. Princess won’t miss you when I kill you, she’ll just get another from storage. The Princess and the Science Experiment.” He takes another swig from the decanter and leans against your desk.

“Sorry, mate.”

He opens his arms in question and spills some of the contents on the stacks of incomplete paperwork.“For what?”

“That you’re such a bastard when you’re drunk.” Gideon snatches the decanter out of Irons’ hand and follows up with a right hook, knocking the older man to the floor.

“You think I can’t take a punch, Gideon?” He gets up, nursing his jaw.

“I was hoping you could, actually. Figured I’d knock some sense into you. You’re sitting in here, feeling sorry for yourself, planning to rob two daughters of their fathers, and you expect me to just let you create and army of _me?_ Never. And I don’t give a damn what you want me to do. I’m through being your soldier, of trying so hard to make you think of me as a son. You may have fooled everyone else with your little speeches about family, but you never truly fooled me. We had our moments, but I always knew, you _always_ preferred the rookie. Will’s best friend. You wish that I was just a heartless Captain, ready to send men to die and not give a damn. You wish that [Y/N] had fallen for _him._ Well that’s just too damned bad, now isn’t it. She’s MY wife. She’s the mother of MY children. And I am going to save her, whether you let me go or not.” Gideon pours out the rest of the decanter, setting it on the tray. He turns around and opens the door just a crack.

“Gideon, if you walk out that door, we’ll hunt you, we’ll brand you KVA and you won’t ever sleep again.” He leans heavily against the desk, still nursing his jaw.

“I think I understand why William joined the marines now.” He walks out the door, Marcus is waiting on the other side. Gideon shakes his head and starts walking, “We’ll get no help from him. How’s Sofie?”

“She’s sleeping. They were able to stabilize her. It was through and through. She should be fine.”

“Can we move her?”

“Move her?”

“I pretty much just turned in my resignation, he’s not happy. We have to move, we have maybe an hour before the punch and stun wears off. After that, he’s going to try and capture us, clone us. He isn’t even going to attempt a rescue. He’s already written [Y/N] off as dead. At least, drunk Irons has.”

“You punched your father-in-law? Wow… you have more balls than I give you credit for. Anyway, what’s step one of the plan?” Marcus checks behind him for a tail.

“Step one, interrogate Danois. And it’s going to be a speed run, once I distract her we’re going to have maybe ten minutes. After that she’ll probably figure out what we’re doing. And then we have 50/50 chance that she’ll sound the alarm on us. After that we need to find a vehicle and get out of here, and we’re going to need to arm up.”

“My car is in the motor pool, I have weapons and equipment. We can’t risk taking anything Atlas. Transporting Sofie is going to be an issue.”

“I have plans to get Laura out. They can probably take Sofie, but if push comes to shove Irons won’t abandon her. It’d be a PR nightmare. We’re lucky everything went down this way. The motor pool should be mostly empty, and most of the personnel are sweeping the apartment complex and security stations. All the resources are going into detaining agents and figuring out _how_ this happened.” Gideon turns a corner, he and Marcus walk through the automatic doors abreast.

Gideon pulls Marcus into a nearby closet, finger to his lips. Gideon walks into the empty observation room and presses the talk button on the microphone, “Ilona, come here a second.” She walks out of the interrogation room, leaving Danois unsecured.

“What is it, Gideon?”

“Laura is having a hard time, and she blames me for not saving [Y/N]. She won’t talk to me, can you...” Gideon rubs the back of his neck, the blush in his cheeks anything but fake. He’s lied to plenty of people, but not his family. Not for a long time.

“Where is she?”

“I had Mitchell take her to the day care. The apartment… I…”

Ilona puts a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll go talk to her.” She lets go of Gideon and locks the interrogation chamber, encrypting the door password.

“You’ve got no idea how much this means to me. This was supposed to be a week of R&R for us. Now…” Gideon lets a tear roll down his cheek, just enough to sell it.

“We’ll find her Gideon, and these bastards will pay for what they’ve done.” She gives him a brief hug before checking the door again and leaving.

Gideon follows her out, when she’s around the corner he knocks on the door. Marcus follows him back to the observation room. Gideon starts a decryption routine. He points at a second keyboard, “It’d go a lot faster with two people. I need you to run a brute force breach.”

“Atlas has the best cyber security in the world. This is going to take longer than ten minutes.”

“Who do you think taught the code monkeys?” He kicks out the chair for Marcus to sit. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve still. I just need you to distract the machine so I can find the gap.”

“What did Irons do before he met you?” Marcus starts the hack. The dull thump of the touch screen was unsatisfying, but they have a job to do.

“Mostly grunt work, he ran security on the power plants. But it was just another PMC. They were good, but I had a few tricks I shared. Kept a couple to myself, just in case. You know how it is.”

“Gideon, it’s almost got me. Find the hole.”

“Got it.” The door clicks open and Danois looks up in curiosity. He isn’t beaten too badly, looks like Ilona was barely getting started when Gideon walked in. It isn’t surprising, she may take a while, but she’s the best. Unfortunately they didn’t have time for Ilona to take her sweet time.

Danois looks up at the camera, “It’s about time, Linus.”

Gideon cracks his knuckles and smiles, “So he does know something.” Gideon walks down the stairs with Marcus on his tail. When Danois opens the door to Gideon standing there his face falls. “Surprised to see me?” He backs Danois into a wall, lifting him up by the collar so his toes barely even touch the floor. “Now, where are they taking [Y/N]?”

“No harm will come to Miss Irons as long as your CEO is willing to talk.”

“That isn’t what I asked.” Gideon slams him into the table, cracking the touchscreen. “Where did they take her?”

“The walking tits couldn’t get me to talk. What makes you think you can?” Danois laughs, not once bothering to look Gideon in the face.

“When we’re done with you you’ll be singing show tunes in dress. 9 can be _very_ persuasive.”

A frightened recognition dawns on his face, but only for a moment, “9,” Danois laughs. “Irons has you on a very tight leash.”

“He did.” Gideon slams him back into the wall. “Now.” He punches him in the stomach, “Where.” Punch, “Is.” Punch, “My.” Punch, “Wife.” He finishes the combination with a knee to the groin.

“9. That’s enough. Take a walk.”

Gideon gives Danois one last shove and leaves the room, giving Marcus room to work. Danois slides down to the floor, winded from his short stint with Gideon. He slams the door, leaving the two of them alone. Marcus gives Danois the same dark smile that Gideon has. “Long time, no see doctor. Of course, you wouldn’t recognize me. I had the serial number removed, tried to forget, move on. But you made that impossible.”

“13, the one with all of the questions. The one that doesn’t have the guts to pull the trigger. Good thing you have your lap dog to do it for you.”

Marcus ignores him, instead pulling up a street view of a house. “How is Francesca? Is she enjoying Barcelona? That little house with the red flowers, it’s a nice place to lay low. Jane really loves the garden, especially that wishing well. It would be a shame if she were to have a little ‘accident.’”

“Leave them out of this.”

Gideon walks back into the room, the door bolted, “Like you left William and Laura out of this? Like you left Matty out of this? The thing is, you’re used to me being your golden boy, but you’re wrong. I’m not anyone’s golden boy anymore. Anything and anyone is fair game. Now where is my wife?” Gideon pulls a knife out of his boot, kneeling down next to Marcus he traces it along Danois’ jaw.

“Just tell us where they are, and Jane’s little pink rabbit will stay nice and dry. And you won’t have to explain to Fran why the body guard disguised as a gardener wasn’t watching her.” He laughs and elbows Gideon, “The best part of it? Those little guardian angels on top can’t do anything to protect her from the demons _you_ created.”

A line of blood trickles down Danois’ neck, it’s just a shallow cut, but enough to get his attention. “I don’t know where they were taken.”

“You know what, I think Fran is going to leave dinner on the stove and take a nap.”

“I don’t know where they are, but I can tell you that they won’t be hurt. Laris, my assistant has instructions from Hades to trade me for Miss Irons and the other hostages after they take tissue samples.”

“What’s the rest of the name?” Marcus pulls a stylus out of his pocket, poised over his tablet to write.

“Laris Fenway. He’s the one who restarted Athos, he found my records on the project. I consulted, but the project never had my full backing, not after you, 9.” Both Marcus and Gideon stand, Danois looks up at them, fearful.

There’s a pounding at the door and a voice on the overhead, “Gideon, open the door and stand down.”

“How long was that?” Gideon asks.

“Captain, you can come quietly or we can come get you.”

Marcus checks his watch, “Seven minutes from door breech.”

Danois looks between the two of them scared. “We’re men of our word doctor. You’re family is safe. Marcus, lose the tablet, we go full paper.”

There’s a loud bang and crack as they breech the door, the microcharges destroying the lock and hinges. Five fully armed Atlas personnel flood into the room, Joker among them, “Put the knife down, boss.”

Marcus throws a smoke bomb he’s been hiding in his sleeve. Joker is the only one left standing when the air clears. “You were saying something?” Marcus has his wrist blade at Joker’s throat.

“Boss, don’t do this. We’ll find her, but not like this.”

“You don’t understand. I am going to find these bastards and end this once and for all. But not with Atlas. There’s too many sleeper agents. I’m doing this with my brother.”

“What about me and Jack, Gideon? What about us and all we’ve done all the lives we’ve saved? We’re all misfits, Gideon. That’s what makes us family, and you’re about to throw that all away. You can still stop this.” Joker pleads. Gideon takes his comm out of his ear and smashes it underneath his boot, “Gideon, please. Don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry mate, but I’ve got to. God forgive me.” Gideon kicks Danois in the head, knocking him unconscious. Marcus hits Joker over the head, shattering his tablet. He falls and Gideon catches him, laying him against the wall, gentle with his brother. “Lets go. We have work to do.” They leave the interrogation room, and make their way to the observation room. From there Gideon uses the same exploit to take down the security cameras.

“Gideon. Are you sure about this? Irons may be drunk, be there’s no guarantee that he’ll take you back after this.” Marcus take the rifle from one of the downed soldiers. They’re sleep darts, enough to take down an elephant.

“I know. But he won’t negotiate, not even for Princess. He loves her, but he hates the KVA more. He won’t trade Danois for her. Especially when we still have no idea what the plan actually was. Why would he count on getting captured? And why did he know that it would be here? The ground crew isn’t briefed on passenger names. They only know friend to foe ratios. Hades has a man higher up. Irons won’t trade. He’ll just write the three of them off as new martyrs. Use it for recruiting, or what ever is best for Atlas.” Gideon exits the observation room, heading toward the infirmary. They encounter a random patrol of two that they dispatch quickly.

Radio in hand Gideon changes the channel to the frequency reserved for Athos sightings, “Apollo, Aries. Come in,” No answer, “Apollo, Aries. Zeus has lost his lighting.”

“Gideon, what the fuck is wrong with you? You struck Irons and put down an entire assault team?” Mitchell’s voice is quite. It’s hard to hear him over the screaming children and clamor of play.

“Irons wrote them off as dead already. What was I supposed to do?”

“Play by the rules. That’s what you were supposed to do. Ilona would have broken Danois, we would have gotten a team, and we would have gotten them back.”

“You know how they play Aries. It isn’t by the rules. They don’t care about anything except science. They are going to experiment on our children and _maybe_ ransom Princess. I won’t let that happen to my baby boy. I won’t. You, Joker, Ilona, and Marcus are the only people I know aren’t KVA. I have to get this done. Can you get Laura to the infirmary? Tell the doctors you want to get her checked out.” Gideon signals Marcus to follow.

“I thought you wanted me to take her some place safe?”

“Irons won’t let her go. I don’t trust him with her. The fact that she’s full Athos means he can make an army of her if he wants. I need to take her and then meet you on the outside. If you try and leave with her Irons will have you detained.” Silence. “Do you copy?”

There’s a loud sigh from the other end, “Okay. I’m trusting you Gideon, but you need to make sure that you don’t screw up too badly. I don’t want that promotion.”

“Copy that. We’ll meet you there.”


End file.
